The eight clubs that remain know they are two wins away from the final and will be hugely motivated for their last-eight battles on March 7-8.
Here is a look at their histories in the Nedbank Cup.
Usuthu have famously reached six Nedbank Cup finals down the years and have not won any of those deciders. Their last visit to the final was in 2010 when they lost 3-0 to Bidvest Wits, though that match was closer than the scoreline suggests.
They reached the semi-finals three times in the first five seasons after 2008 but have not been back since. In fact, they have suffered a string of early exits in the years in between.
They host second-tier Casric Stars in the quarter-finals, having not met a team from that division since Ubuntu Cape Town in 2018. That was one of four exits at the hands of lower-league opposition since 2009.
Stars provided one of the great Nedbank Cup shocks when they ousted Orlando Pirates in the last round, holding the Soweto giants to a 0-0 draw before winning on penalties.
Their goalkeeper Tshigwana Mthombeni is the son of owner/coach Bucs Mthombeni and a confirmed Pirates fan, so it will have been a bittersweet moment for him.
Stars are away at AmaZulu, the fifth time in as many Nedbank Cup ties that they will be on the road. They have never played a match in the competition in front of their own fans.
They are a team that keeps it tight. They have kept clean sheets in three of their four ties to date, with their only Nedbank Cup loss a 2-1 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs in the Last 16 in 2023.
This will be their first quarter-final appearance.
Durban City were born out of the old status of Maritzburg United, who were Nedbank Cup finalists in 2018 but lost 1-0 to Free State Stars in Cape Town.
City have portrayed themselves as a new club though, disconnected from their old image, and so their Nedbank Cup history is short, having debuted in the competition in this incarnation in 2025.
They reached the quarter-finals but lost on penalties to Marumo Gallants following a 0-0 draw.
In fact, they have now been involved in three goalless draws in a row, with both of this year’s matches against Chippa United and Upington City ending 0-0, and the Durban club advancing via spot-kicks. Four of their five ties to date have gone to extra time.
They are away at local rivals Lamontville Golden Arrows in this year’s quarter-finals.
The only amateur side remaining in the competition, Spears must go to TS Galaxy in the quarter-finals, which will be a huge step up for them.
The Northern Cape team have beaten fellow third-tier opponents in the opening two rounds, edging FC Cardinals on penalties after a 1-1 draw and then CR Vasco da Gama 1-0.
They made their Nedbank Cup debut back in 2013 when they lost to second-tier African Warriors, and it took them 13 years to return.
The tie against Galaxy will be their first-ever meeting with top-flight opposition in a competitive fixture, and they will hope they do not receive the same treatment as Vasco last year, when Galaxy defeated the Cape Town club 7-0 in the Last 32.
Golden Arrows have received a home draw in the Nedbank Cup for the seventh time in a row as they face Durban City in the quarter-finals.
The odds on that would be pretty long, but their ball keeps coming out of the pot first. It has not always helped them, though, as they have lost three of those last six home ties while seeking to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
That was one of two visits to the last four for the club, who have yet to make the decider in the Nedbank Cup.
They are usually a team with goals in them. Golden Arrows have scored at least once in each of their last 13 ties, since a 3-0 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs in 2018.
Their three previous quarter-finals include a defeat to SuperSport United in 2015, and wins over Platinum Stars (2017) and Bloemfontein Celtic (2019). None of those clubs exist as professional teams anymore.
Milford finally won a Nedbank Cup tie outright at the sixth attempt when they defeated third-tier Mkhambathi 3-0 in the Last 16 to book a maiden quarter-final appearance away at Sekhukhune United.
They will perhaps hope the tie goes to penalties, where they have a 100% record so far, having twice won a shoot-out, including in the Last 32 this year when they edged third-tier SSU M-17.
Milford lost 2-1 to Sekhukhune in the Last 16 in 2025 and were beaten 6-1 by Stellenbosch FC the year before, but they did famously edge Kaizer Chiefs in the Last 32 that year when they won on penalties following a 0-0 draw.
They currently head the Motsepe Foundation Championship as they push for promotion to the top flight.
Sekhukhune were beaten finalists in 2023 when they lost 2-1 to Orlando Pirates at Loftus Stadium, and will have high hopes of going one better this time around.
If you take league position as a yardstick, they are the “top-ranked” side remaining in the competition as they sit third in the Betway Premiership.
They host second-tier leaders Milford, so this will be no easy tie, though they defeated the KwaZulu-Natal side 2-1 in the Last 16 in 2025. Milford will argue they have improved since then.
This is the third tie in a row this season in which Sekhukhune have faced second-tier opponents, having already ousted Highbury FC and the University of Pretoria in the previous two rounds, both by 1-0 scorelines.
The only team remaining in the competition who have lifted the trophy before, Galaxy made history in 2019 as a second-tier side when they defeated Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the decider thanks to Zakhele Lepasa’s late penalty.
They remain the only team from outside the top flight to lift the trophy, but it has been tough going since then. This will be only their second quarter-final in the last seven years, when they take on third-tier Jacksa Spears at home.
Galaxy have faced ABC Motsepe League sides three times before in the competition and won all of those ties, scoring 12 goals and conceding none.
They have gone out twice before to lower-league opponents, though: TS Sporting (2021) and Durban City (2025) were both second-tier when they defeated Galaxy.
