TAB WEEKEND SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS: 27 - 29 MARCH 2026

CHALLENGING GAMES OFFER PROSPECTS OF BIG PAYOUTS

TAB soccer customers will find a challenging and mixed bag of games in TAB soccer pools this weekend as a result of the international break, which ends on Wednesday, but there are golden opportunities galore to hit a big win.

FOUR POOLS GET R500,000 CASH BOOST FROM TAB

TAB is adding R500,000 to four selected pools tonight and tomorrow plus there’s a R200,000 carryover to the weekend’s Soccer Any 13 Xtra in which you get to choose your own matches. And there’s a guaranteed R18-million pot in the event of only one outright winner of Saturday’s Soccer 13.

A R200,000-added Soccer 10 headlines tonight’s pools and eight of the games are international friendlies as countries warm up for the forthcoming World Cup finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Many managers will use these matches to blood new players and experiment with different combinations and formations, so don’t be surprised if there are some unexpected results.

South Africa have chosen two international friendlies against Panama as their March preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals. Many will be surprised that Bafana Bafana are not preparing against bigger-name opponents, but the bottom line, as already made clear by SA’s head coach Hugo Broos, is that the South African Football Association cannot afford the $5 million demanded by Brazil or the 5-million Euros requested by Argentina to play international friendlies.

Hence Panama play Bafana tonight at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban and then again on Tuesday at the Cape Town Stadium.

BAFANA BAFANA SHOULD LEARN MUCH FROM PANAMA

Both matches will provide good tests for South Africa. Panama are a side to be reckoned with - they are ranked 33^rd in the world by FIFA compared to 60^th-ranked Bafana and have also qualified for the World Cup finals for only the second time in their history.

South Africa play Mexico in the opening match of the World Cup finals in Mexico City on 11 June and Panama have a similar style of play to the Mexicans. Consequently both matches should provide some valuable insight for what Bafana will be up against in their opening World Cup clash.

Bafana should make the most of home advantage and beat Panama in both games, which will certainly boost their confidence ahead of the World Cup. The game is M2 in tonight’s Soccer 10 in which the best bankers look to be home wins for Spain, the world’s top-ranked country, against Serbia and Morocco against Ecuador.

BANK ON CITY’S WOMEN IN MANCHESTER DERBY

Tomorrow’s R200,000-added Soccer 10 involves no international friendlies and comprises a top-of-the-table clash in England’s Women’s Soccer League between fierce cross-town rivals Manchester City and United, as well as nine games from England’s competitive League Two.

City lead United by eight points and should be up to winning away after beating them 3-0 at home in November.

Other potential bankers are log-leaders Bromley to win way at Barrow and home victories for Bristol City and Swindon.

MATCH PREVIEWS OF R200,000-ADDED SOCCER 10 POOLS

Fri 27 Mar – S10 V2

M1 Austria vs Ghana: With R200,000 from TAB to get bets rolling, expect a bumper month-end pot of over R2 million. And don’t forget that all eight international clashes in the pool are friendlies. Austria (ranked 24) have won six of their last eight games in UEFA World Cup qualifiers, while Ghana (ranked 72) have won six of their last 10 in all competitions. The last meeting between them ended 1-1, but that was 19 years ago when Austria were hosts.

M2 South Africa vs Panama: Another friendly. South Africa (ranked 60) have won four of their last six games, while Panama (33) have avoided defeat in nine of their last 10. The teams last met 21 years ago in a Concacaf Gold Cup fixture, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

M3 Cordoba vs Mirandes: Cordoba are on a six-game losing streak in Spain’s LaLiga2, while Mirandes have lost six of their last 10 matches. Cordoba won the last meeting between them 2-1 away in December and are 12th with 41 points, 14 ahead of 21st-placed Mirandes.

M4 Greece vs Paraguay: Greece (ranked 46) have won five of their last nine games in all competitions. Paraguay (40) have avoided defeat in seven of their last 10.

M5 England vs Uruguay: England (ranked 4) are on a winning streak of six games in all competitions, while Uruguay (17) have won four of their last seven. Last met 12 years ago when Uruguay won 2-1.

M6 Netherlands vs Norway: Netherlands (ranked 7) are unbeaten in eight UEFA World Cup qualifiers and Norway (32) are unbeaten in their last 10 across all competitions. Netherlands won the last meeting between them 2-0 five years ago, their seventh victory in the last 11 clashes.

M7 Raith Rovers vs Ayr United: Both have struggled recently with Raith winless in seven of their last eight games and Ayr winless in their last eight. Ayr won the last meeting between them 2-1 in January and are fifth in the Scottish Championship, two points ahead of seventh-placed Raith.

M8 Switzerland vs Germany: Switzerland (ranked 18) are unbeaten in their last 10 games, while Germany (10) are on a five-match winning streak in World Cup qualifiers. The teams last met two years ago in a 1-1 draw at the Euros. In the last 14 meetings over 88 years, Switzerland have won twice to Germany’s seven.

M9 Spain vs Serbia: Spain, the world’s top-ranked nation, are unbeaten in six UEFA World Cup qualifiers and Serbia (ranked 39) have won five of their last nine. Spain won the last meeting between them 3-0 two years ago, their second win in the last five clashes with three draws.

M10 Morocco vs Ecuador: Morocco (ranked 8) and Ecuador (23) are both are unbeaten in their last 10 games. Home advantage see Morocco edge this one.

Sat 28 Mar – S10 V3

M1 Manchester United W vs Manchester City W: This top-of-the-table clash in England’s Women's Super League gets this R200,000-added pool on the road. The rest of the matches are from England’s League Two. City top the log, eight points ahead of second-placed United, and won the last clash between them 3-0 at home in November. In the last 15 meetings over the past five years, City have won seven times to United’s four.

M2 Barnet vs Cambridge United: Barnet have lost four of their last eight games, while Cambridge are unbeaten in nine. The teams last met in November and drew 0-0. Cambridge are third in the table with 72 points, 15 ahead of 12th-placed Barnet.

M3 Barrow vs Bromley: Barrow are winless in their last eight League Two matches, while Bromley are unbeaten in their last 10. Bromley won the last meeting 2-1 and currently top the league table with 79 points, 21 ahead of 24th-placed Barrow who have played a game less.

M4 Bristol Rovers vs Accrington Stanley: Bristol have won five of their last seven games, while Accrington are winless in their last seven. Accrington won the last meeting 3-1 in November and Bristol have won just two of the last 15 games between the two sides. Accrington are 15th with 48 points, five points above 17th-placed Bristol.

M5 Colchester United vs Walsall: Colchester have lost their last two games, while Walsall are unbeaten in their last three. Colchester won the last meeting 2-0 away, but Walsall are 10th with 60 points, seven more than 14th-placed Colchester.

M6 Crawley Town vs Gillingham: Crawley are winless in their last 10 League Two games and Gillingham are on a four-match losing streak. The teams drew 2-2 in November in their last clash. Gillingham are 16th with 45 points, 14 points ahead of 21st-placed Crawley.

M7 Crewe Alexandra vs Oldham Athletic: Crewe have won five of their last nine games, while Oldham are unbeaten in nine. The teams drew 0-0 in November in their last clash. Crewe are ninth with 60 points, two more than 11th-placed Oldham after 37 games.

M8 Newport County vs Shrewsbury Town: Newport have lost six of their last 10 games and Shrewsbury are on a three-match losing streak. Shrewsbury won the last meeting 1-0 in November and have won three of the last five meetings between the sides over the last 15 years. Shrewsbury are 19th with 41 points, 10 points above 22nd-placed Newport County.

M9 Salford City vs Milton Keynes Dons: Salford have won five of their last seven games and Dons seven of their last 10. Dons won the last meeting 2-0, their third win in the last five encounters. Dons are second in the table with 74 points, seven ahead of sixth-placed Salford.

M10 Swindon Town vs Fleetwood Town: Swindon are on a two-game winning streak and are fifth in the league with 69 points, while Fleetwood are 13th with 54 points. The last meeting between them ended 1-1.