DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small are taking their Scorpion Kings Live spectacle to Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium on 19 September, and the amapiano event has already sold out once before adding more tickets.
From announcement to stadium sell-out
- The Scorpion Kings first revealed plans for a major FNB Stadium show after the strong response to their 2025 edition at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
- Tickets went on sale in early May, with fans moving quickly to avoid missing out and filling the event within seven days.
- Organisers later released another 5,000 tickets in late June to meet the extraordinary demand.
- The Calabash, as FNB Stadium is known, is now expected to welcome at least 75,000 people for the performance, marking a significant moment for amapiano at South Africa’s biggest live venue.
Updates shared on the official Scorpion Kings social-media pages have helped drive anticipation for the show.
For an artist, commanding a stadium with a capacity of more than 70,000 is a huge achievement. For Maphorisa, however, the move to FNB reflects amapiano’s progression from a distinctly Mzansi sound into an international cultural force.
He described the venue choice as more than a career milestone, saying it captures the distance the duo and the genre have travelled. In his view, the decision to think bigger makes FNB the ideal setting to unite their audience.
Scorpion Kings Live: A Family Affair has also grown into something larger than a conventional concert, taking on the feel of a broad cultural celebration.
Building the Scorpion Kings experience
In the run-up to the stadium date, the brand has staged activations at universities around the country. DJs, performers and hype teams have been sent to campuses to bring a taste of the forthcoming stadium atmosphere to student communities.
A promotional video that spread widely online imagined a fictional “2026 Cabinet Meeting”. Focalistic appeared as the “president”, while Maphorisa took the role of “Minister of Finance” and Kabza De Small was presented as “Minister of Arts and Culture”. Other media figures acted as ministers responsible for issues including money, safety, promotion, transport and hospitality, treating the concert as though it were a national government operation.
Further campaign posts from the Scorpion Kings social accounts have continued to build excitement around the production.
A Family Affair
At the heart of the event is the close bond between Kabza De Small and Maphorisa, the pair collectively known as the Scorpion Kings. Their connection goes beyond a professional music partnership and is rooted in a long-standing personal and creative relationship.
Maphorisa said audiences respond to the genuine understanding he shares with Kabza, explaining that they communicate through music and constantly motivate each other to improve. He added that Scorpion Kings represents more than two performers: it is a movement and a family.
The event’s title, A Family Affair, was chosen to reflect that idea directly.
The recently revealed pre-show programme will bring together South African artists from several musical worlds. The lineup includes house names such as Dlala Thukzin and hip-hop performer A-Reece, alongside special bacardi and Maskandi showcases designed to prepare the crowd before the headline performances.
Maphorisa said the bill reflects the people the Scorpion Kings have collaborated with, developed alongside and encountered throughout their journey. He described the show as an opportunity to gather the wider amapiano community on one stage.
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What fans can expect
The scale of the audience means the show’s technical delivery must be just as ambitious as its setting.
- Gates will open at 12:00, allowing fans to attend the pre-show before the main evening performances begin.
- Maphorisa has promised a substantially expanded production, with upgrades planned for the sound, visuals and overall staging.
- The aim is for guests to feel involved in something extraordinary from the moment they enter the stadium.
- The duo’s central goal for 19 September is to deliver a memorable night built around music and celebration.
- Once the headline show starts, audiences can expect high energy, commanding performances and standout moments, with Maphorisa predicting that FNB Stadium will “shake.”
The Scorpion Kings’ official pages have also continued sharing promotional posts as the countdown to the stadium takeover continues.
