Mduduzi Shabalala reveals key to Chiefs' success next season

Mduduzi Shabalala. Photo credit: Kaizer Chiefs

Kaizer Chiefs' attacking midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala believes winning more home games is key to the club's silverware ambitions in the upcoming 2025/26 season.

The Soweto giants are currently in the Netherlands for their pre-season camp, gearing up for the new campaign under coach Nasreddine Nabi.

After breaking their decade-long trophy drought last season by beating Orlando Pirates in the 2025 Nedbank Cup, the Glamour Boys are aiming for even greater achievements.

Shabalala emphasised that their ability to strongly compete across all competitions hinges on their performance at home. The youngster also highlighted two crucial lessons from the previous season.

"As a team, we learned that we need to manage ourselves better and we need to concentrate more on our finishing," he stated on the Kaizer Chiefs website. "Doubtlessly, we definitely want to win more of our home games next season to be able to compete for top positions on the league table."

Meanwhile, Shabalala feels his recent participation in the 2025 COSAFA Cup with Bafana Bafana has significantly prepared him for the upcoming season, especially the CAF Confederation Cup.

"Being selected for the national team was a huge honour. It was also good for my self-confidence, and the games taught me a lot," he explained. "I have no doubt I will be able to take all these lessons to the CAF Confederations Cup, for which we, as Kaizer Chiefs, qualified."

He added, "A lot of other African countries play football differently than us, being very physical. I also learned a lot about the mental aspect of the game of football during my stint with Bafana. So, I gained really valuable insights and experiences that will improve my game in the future."