The early exit of South Africa's so-called 'big three' of Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs ensured that whoever lifts this season's Nedbank Cup, it will go down as an upset - and the semi-finals could yet see even bigger shocks.
Durban City will host Casric Stars on Saturday at Chatsworth Stadium before TS Galaxy host Milford FC at KwaMhlanga's Solomon Mahlangu Stadium.
Two Betway Premiership sides will thus be hosting two Motsepe Foundation Championship sides - meaning that if there are two away wins in the semis, we could have an all-second tier final.
CAF Confederation Cup qualification is also at stake. Kaizer Chiefs qualified by winning the Nedbank Cup last season despite finishing ninth in the 2024-25 Premiership.
The third-placed team in the Premiership automatically attains Confederation Cup qualification, with the top two sides going to the Champions League. The second Confederation Cup spot for South Africa goes either to the team who finishes fourth or the Nedbank Cup winner.
The winner of the Nedbank Cup claims the spot rather than the fourth-placed team if they themselves finished outside the Premiership top four.
Of the four teams remaining in the Nedbank Cup, only Durban City have a relatively strong chance of attaining continental football by virtue of their league position.
They sit fifth in the Premiership with eight games remaining, while Galaxy are 11th - 10 points behind City, 11 behind fourth-placed Kaizer Chiefs, who have two games in hand, and 12 behind third-placed AmaZulu.
Milford currently top the Championship with 40 points from 22 games played in a 30-game season, while Casric Stars are fourth, two points behind.
Only three points separate Milford from fifth-placed Cape Town City, and only the top team in the Championship will be automatically promoted. The teams in second and third will contest the Promotion/Relegation Playoffs with the team in 15th (second from bottom) in the Premiership.
TS Galaxy famously won the 2018-19 Nedbank Cup as a Championship side, beating Kaizer Chiefs in the final. This season, they eliminated Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 in the round of 16.
Casric Stars, meanwhile, clinched a major scalp of their own when they beat Orlando Pirates on penalties at the same stage. Chiefs, the defending champions, had already been beaten in the round of 32 by Stellenbosch FC.
Semi-final fixtures
Saturday, 4 April at 15:00 CAT (13:00 GMT): Durban City vs. Casric Stars, Chatsworth Stadium, Durban
Sunday, 5 April at 15:00 CAT (13:00 GMT): TS Galaxy vs. Milford FC, Solomon Mahlangu Stadium, KwaMhlanga
How to watch: Both matches are scheduled to air on SuperSport PSL (DSTV channel 202)