Every South African soccer pool, compared
There are five pools, three sets of rules and two operators. Here is what really differs between them: how long the card is, what one entry costs, and how many levels pay out.
We counted the card lengths, payout levels and pool counts from the operators' own published data on Thursday 17 September 2026. Entry prices are what each operator says on its own page, and nobody outside has checked them.
| Pool | Matches | Single entry | Levels that pay | Open now | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soccer 13 | 13 | R2 | 10/13, 11/13, 12/13 and 13/13 | 1 | TAB |
| Soccer 10 | 10 | R2 | 9/10 and 10/10 | 3 | TAB |
| Soccer 6 | 6 | R6 | 6/6 | 5 | TAB |
| Soccer 4 | 4 | R6 | 4/4 | 2 | TAB |
| Soccer 13 Extra | 30 | R2 | 11/13, 12/13 and 13/13 | 1 | TAB |
| MatchPlay 14 | 14 | Not published | 11/14, 12/14, 13/14 and 14/14 | 1 | National Lottery |
| MatchPlay 9/14 | 14 | Not published | 8/14 and 9/14 | 1 | National Lottery |
| MatchPlay Omnisports | 14 | Not published | 11/14, 12/14, 13/14 and 14/14 | 1 | National Lottery |
| SportStake 13 | 13 | Not published | 10/13, 11/13, 12/13 and 13/13 | 1 | the National Lottery |
| SportStake 8 | 8 | Not published | 13/8, 14/8, 15/8 and 16/8 | 1 | the National Lottery |
The two National Lottery pools, SportStake 13 and 8, now MatchPlay, side by side →
We read "Levels that pay" off every finished pool we have collected, not off a rule book. So it shows what the operator really paid, not what it says it will pay. A pool with one level only pays a ticket that got every result right.
Want to bet on one match on its own?
A pool ticket and a bookmaker bet are different products. If what you want is a bet on one of these matches on its own, at a price you can see before you stake, that is a licensed South African bookmaker rather than a pool.
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What each one asks of you
- Soccer 13 13 matches. You pick one of three results in each match. Every pool pays at four levels, so your ticket does not have to be perfect to be worth something.
- Soccer 10 10 matches, numbered M1 to M10. You pick one of three results in each match. Get all 10 right and you take the bigger share of the pool. Get any 9 right and you take the smaller share.
- Soccer 6 6 matches, numbered M1 to M6. You pick one of three results in each match. Your ticket pays only if all 6 are right.
- Soccer 4 4 matches, numbered M1 to M4. You pick one of six results in each match, split by the winning margin. Your ticket pays only if all 4 are right.
- Soccer 13 Extra TAB publishes 30 matches, numbered M1 to M30, and you choose which 13 of them to bet. That is the whole difference from ordinary Soccer 13. It is also why the card on the fixtures page is 30 matches long while the payouts are published out of 13.
- MatchPlay 14 14 matches. You pick one of three results in each, and the ticket pays on all 14.
- MatchPlay 9/14 14 matches on the card, but scored out of 9. You are picking which 9 you get right.
- MatchPlay Omnisports 14 legs, and not all of them are soccer. You pick a result in each and the ticket pays on all 14.
- SportStake 13 13 matches. You pick one of three results in each match. The National Lottery runs this pool, not TAB, and since 1 June 2026 the operator calls it MatchPlay 13 rather than SportStake 13.
- SportStake 8 8 matches, two forecasts on each: the result of the first half and the result of the second half, sixteen picks in all. The National Lottery runs this pool, not TAB, and since 1 June 2026 the operator calls it MatchPlay 8 rather than SportStake 8.
This week's cards
- Soccer 13 fixtures Pool SXX, 13 matches, closes Sat 19 Sep 15:30
- Soccer 10 fixtures Pool SMM, 10 matches, closes Thu 17 Sep 18:45
- Soccer 6 fixtures Pool SDD, 6 matches, closes Thu 17 Sep 18:45
- Soccer 4 fixtures Pool SFF, 4 matches, closes Thu 17 Sep 19:00
- Soccer 13 Extra fixtures Pool Z13, 30 matches, closes Sat 19 Sep 13:30
- MatchPlay 14 fixtures Pool 1020, 14 matches, closes Sat 19 Sep 14:29
- MatchPlay 9/14 fixtures Pool 1020, 14 matches, closes Sat 19 Sep 14:29
- MatchPlay Omnisports fixtures Pool 1016, 14 matches, closes Sat 19 Sep 05:28
- SportStake 13 fixtures Pool 2021, 13 matches, closes Sat 19 Sep 14:59
- SportStake 8 fixtures Pool 1006, 8 matches, closes Sat 19 Sep 14:29
Cheap to enter does not mean easy to win
The ticket price is the least useful number in the table above. Soccer 6 costs three times what Soccer 10 costs, and it asks for four fewer results. That sounds easier. But Soccer 6 pays at one level and Soccer 10 pays at two. A Soccer 6 ticket that gets five of six right is worth nothing at all.
What changes your chances most is how many levels pay out, because that decides whether a near miss is worth anything. What changes your payout most is how many other people entered, and nobody can see that before the pool closes. You can never price that part, which is why we sell no tips.
Most tickets in every pool win nothing. Each game has its own how to play page with the full detail. To see where every figure here came from, read how we check the data.
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Paid links, and this site can earn a commission when you use them. They change nothing above: the fixtures, results and dividends all come from the pool operator's own feed. Offers as Easybet advertised them on 2026-08-26; their own site is the only place showing today's terms. 18+ only. T&Cs apply.
Questions
Which South African soccer pool is cheapest to enter?
Soccer 13. One entry costs R2, according to the operator's own how to play page. But cheap to enter does not mean easy to win. Soccer 4 has the shortest card at 4 matches. The number of payout levels matters more than the ticket price, because a pool with one level pays nothing unless every result is right.
Which pool gives the most chances to win?
Soccer 13. It pays out at 10/13, 11/13, 12/13 and 13/13 correct, which is more levels than any other pool here. We read that off 38 finished pools on file, not off a rule book. More levels means more tickets win something. It also means each win is worth less.
Are all these pools run by the same company?
No. TAB runs Soccer 6, Soccer 10, Soccer 13 and Soccer 13 Extra, and its official site is soccer6.co.za. SportStake 13 belongs to the South African National Lottery. Sizekhaya Holdings took the Lottery over from Ithuba on 1 June 2026 and now calls the game MatchPlay 13. Soccer 13 has one more twist: TAB runs it with Svenska Spel in Sweden, and TAB says Svenska Spel rules apply to it. The two operators also use different symbols on their results, so a winning combination read with the wrong key comes out backwards.
How often does a new pool open?
It depends on the game, so check that game's fixtures page. The operator prints an open and close time on every single pool, and that is the real answer. Soccer 6 and Soccer 10 usually have a few pools open at once. Soccer 13 and Soccer 13 Extra run less often, with much bigger pots.