Orlando Pirates have begun their preparations for the 2025–2026 off-season camp after arriving and settling in Spain.
After landing at Málaga International Airport on Tuesday, the first team travelled a short distance to Marbella, a coastal city where they will spend the next two weeks.
They will start their off-season campaign on Friday when they play a training match against Bolton Wanderers, an English team.
The new signings, who have travelled with the team to Spain, are Oswin Appollis (Polokwane City), Sipho Mbule (Mamelodi Sundowns), Yanela Mbuthuma (Richards Bay), Masindi Nemtajela (Marumo Gallants), Tshepang Moremi (Amazulu), Nkosikhona Ndaba (Richards Bay), Sinoxolo Kwayiba (Chippa United), Tshepo Mashiloane (Baroka), and Sihle Nduli (Stellenbosch).
The Buccaneers, led by recently hired head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, will use the 12-day camp to strengthen their team’s unity, acclimatise new players, and prepare for what looks to be another challenging season.
32-man squad part of the tour
Speaking to the club’s website, Bucs assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi said: “It’s all systems go. The upcoming season will be tough, so our preparation must cover all possible scenarios.
“Last season’s group played 52 matches — that kind of workload is only manageable with a well-planned preseason.
“We have a new crop of players that we need to integrate into the group as quickly as possible.”
The 32-man squad that the technical team has brought to Marbella will compete in a number of intense friendlies to gauge their preparedness.
The Wanderers game will be followed on Sunday by a match against Pafos FC, the recently crowned Cypriot champions.
The tour will end on July 19 with a test match against Granada after games against La Liga team Las Palmas on July 17.
In the upcoming campaign, Bucs are expected to surpass the standards set by their previous coach, Jose Riveiro, who left over a month ago to join Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly in Cairo, Egypt.
