ABC Motsepe League | 9 July 2026
Jomo Sono took himself to Meyerton Sports Grounds on Saturday 5 July to watch the Hollywoodbets Inter-Regional Play-offs first-hand, using the tournament as a personal scouting run for players who could reinforce Jomo Cosmos ahead of the 2026/27 ABC Motsepe League campaign. The Cosmos owner-coach’s presence, reported by The Citizen via Sedibeng Ster on 9 July, confirmed what has been an open secret through the off-season — Ezenkosi are actively looking to strengthen after a bruising 2025/26 that saw them fighting at the wrong end of the log.
What Sono was watching
All six teams at the Inter-Regional Play-offs earn automatic promotion to the ABC Motsepe League next season, meaning the tournament effectively doubles as a talent showcase for the tier immediately below where Cosmos will play. That is a sharper filter than a random Sunday-league scouting trip — every player Sono watched is about to become a Motsepe League contract candidate. Given the level of clubs in that competition and Cosmos’s need for depth, the Vaal was exactly where he needed to be.
The league backdrop
SAFA has confirmed that no relegation will apply from the ABC Motsepe League this season, which in turn splits the Gauteng ABC Motsepe stream into two 12-team divisions for 2026/27. For Cosmos, that means a busier fixture list, more matchdays to rotate through, and a real premium on squad depth rather than one first-choice XI. It also, arguably, gives them a slightly softer runway to a top-half finish — the field will be diluted before it consolidates again in a season’s time.
What comes next
The trip does not point to any specific signing yet. But it does confirm that Cosmos’s recruitment is being run at the top of the club rather than delegated out. If a name emerges in the next fortnight from among the play-off squads, that Meyerton visit is likely where it started. Cosmos have a reputation for spotting talent early in their history and Sono is doubling down on doing it personally this window.
