Red Bull Mzansi Crew Battle opens entries for its final South African edition

The Red Bull Mzansi Crew Battle is back for a third year, and it will be the last. Entries for the street-dance competition opened on 23 October, and the national final takes place in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on Sunday, 15 November.

HYPE Magazine describes this edition as the competition's "third and final year", and The Citizen reports it as the final South African edition. Neither report says why the event is ending.

Enter with a phone and a post

Getting in starts on social media. Crews of two to six dancers, all aged 16 or older, film a performance, post it with the hashtag #redbullmzansicrewbattle and submit the link through Red Bull's online entry form. Online entries close at 23:59 on Thursday, 5 November. Judges then pick the crews who go through to the national final.

The competition is built around South African sounds and styles. The entry details list amapiano, pantsula and sbujwa, and The Citizen adds survivor and bhenga.

A Gauteng qualifier is set for Saturday, 14 November, and the national final for the next day. Both start at 2pm at The Playground in Braamfontein, and entry for spectators is free.

Workshops before entries close

Before entries close, a studio tour will run workshops with crews: Soweto's Finest Studio on 31 October, Shakers and Movers Dance Academy on 1 November and Mario Gomes Hip Hop Dance Academy on 7 November. Dancers and choreographers The Ninjas, Kananelo, Tebza and Tlhogi will lead them, along with the defending champions.

The workshops sit between the entry window and the qualifier. A crew that has not posted by 23:59 on 5 November is out of the online round, whether or not it made a workshop.

The last champions

Crazy Destroyers, the duo of Slick Nation and Tsebetsa Boy from Soshanguve and Mabopane, won the 2025 title at Constitution Hill in December, beating True Skhanda Movers in the final. Untouchable Entertainment won the first edition in 2024.

Last year's final ran in three rounds: a choreographed showcase, freestyle battles to local hits, and a 50/50 round in which a crew that lost a round lost half its members. Judges scored creativity, execution, style and crowd connection, and the crowd voted for its favourite. Red Bull has not yet confirmed whether the 2026 format will be the same.

Tsebetsa Boy told The Citizen that winning last year "felt like a dream at first and meant a lot to us". The pair are coming back to defend the title.

Being remembered as the last South African champions would be an honour that we would carry with pride.

Their advice to crews still deciding whether to enter: "believe in yourselves enough to take the first step."