The Brazilians’ run of winning eight consecutive league titles came to an end last season after Orlando Pirates were crowned 2025-26 champions.

Sundowns were crowned Kings of Africa after they lifted the CAF Champions League trophy, while also qualifying for the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

The Chilean insists Sundowns have set themselves clear targets domestically and internationally, with the MTN8 final, Super Cup, Intercontinental, league, Carling Knockout and Nedbank Cup all firmly in their sights.

“It was painful [to lose the league] and I think that has helped us a little bit to get the hunger so we can get back our trophy,” said Allende on Sundowns TV as per IDiskiTimes.

“We put it on target this year that we have to play and win the local competitions in South Africa.

“Last year we struggled a little bit in that path. But what I said to you we put it on target to play finals and win.

“We already have MTN8 final, Super Cup, Intercontinental, the league is also important for us, of course the Carling Knockout and Nedbank.”

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The Buccaneers have booked their place in the next round of the CAF Champions League after completing a 3-1 aggregate victory over La Cure Waves.

The Buccaneers sealed their progression with a convincing 3-1 win on Friday night, securing a 3-1 aggregate triumph and keeping their continental campaign on track.

Pirates will now turn their attention to the second preliminary round, where they will face Namibian champions African Stars for a place in the group stage.

Rapoo says head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou urged the players to start with intensity, with the team motivated by their desire to progress to the latter stages of the competition.

“We knew what we had to do from the start,” Rapoo said in his post-match interview.

“Coach (Abdeslam Ouaddou) told us that we have to score in the first 15 minutes and I think the guys were motivated because they wanted to reach the final stages of the CAF (Champions League).

“But we knew when we come here, home, that we have a 12th man supporter. So we had to start with good intensity, score first and keep going and score as many goals as we can.

“We knew what we had to do, they weren’t going to beat us at home. So we decided to keep going and create chances and we knew we going to get goals.

⏪ 𝗬𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗖𝗧𝗔𝗠 ⏪

🎤 Neo Rapoo
🆚 La Cure Waves
🗓 12.09.26

⚫⚪🔴⭐#MatchDay#TotalEnergiesCAFCL#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/KvzhmdxdiG

— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) September 13, 2026

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The Buccaneers advanced to the next stage of the CAF Champions League after claiming a 3-1 aggregate win over La Cure Wave.

Pirates secured a 3-1 victory over La Cure Waves on Friday night to complete a 3-1 aggregate win and progress to the next stage of the competition.

The Sea Robbers will now take on Namibian champions African Stars in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.

Ouaddou has issued a stern warning to his players, insisting there will be no room for showboating as the Buccaneers chase success in the CAF Champions League.

“I will not accept showboating in my team,” Ouaddou told the media.

“If we want to win the Champions League and go far in the competition, we have to be serious and stop this thing of showboating because it does not help the team but the ego of whoever is doing it.

“As a coach, all I want is goals, goals, goals, and nothing more. If the players want to showboat, they can do it, not with me here.”

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Mamelodi Sundowns’ victory in the 2025/26 African Champions League did more than deliver a second continental crown and erase the pain of losing the previous season’s final against Pyramids.

It also completed their rise to the top of Africa’s club rankings, ending Al Ahly’s long stay at number one and perhaps cementing what many have long believed, that the Pretoria-based side is the top team in Africa.

The Confederation of African Football’s updated five-year table that they use for seedings in competitions has Sundowns first with 73 points, seven clear of Egypt’s Al Ahly on 66, with Espérance from Tunisia in third on 58.

That is a significant shift from the ranking released before the 2025/26 season, when Al Ahly led with 78 points and Sundowns were second on 62. The change reflects both Sundowns’ relentless consistency and the way CAF’s rolling system places greater value on the most recent campaign.

With Al Ahly not qualifying for the Champions League this season, Sundowns have a further opportunity to cement their place as Africa’s top club.

The rankings are based on how clubs perform in CAF’s interclub competitions over the last five editions. CAF uses the list to organise seeding and place teams into pots for competition draws, helping to keep the strongest recent performers apart during the early stages.

CAF’s system awards Champions League clubs six points for winning the competition, five for finishing as runners-up, four for reaching the semi-finals and three for making the quarter-finals.

Clubs finishing third and fourth in the group stage receive two and one point respectively.

The Confederation Cup scale is slightly lower: five for the champions, four for the runners-up, three for semi- finalists, two for quarter-finalists, one for third place in a group and half a point for fourth.

But the crucial part is the weighting. The oldest of the five seasons is multiplied by one, the next by two, then three and so on until the most recent campaign, which carries a coefficient of five.

A Champions League title in the latest season is therefore worth 30 ranking points (six points multiplied by five), while the same achievement five seasons earlier contributes only six points.

Sundowns’ total of 73 can be followed season by season. Their quarter-final appearance in 2021/22 earns three points because it is now the oldest campaign in the cycle.

Their semi-final runs in 2022/23 and 2023/24 are worth eight and 12 respectively. Finishing as runners-up to Pyramids in 2024/25 contributes 20, while defeating AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate to win the 2025/26 title adds the maximum 30.

Al Ahly’s fall to second will hurt for fans, but is reflective of their recent struggles.

The Cairo giants remain the competition’s record 12-time winners and are still the benchmark for long-term African success.

Their 66 points comprise five for finishing as runners-up in 2021/22, 12 for winning the title in 2022/23, 18 for retaining it in 2023/24, 16 for reaching the 2024/25 semi-finals and 15 for making the quarter- finals in 2025/26.

They have entered the African Confederation Cup this season, so can still score points there.

In the 2025 ranking, Al Ahly still benefited from their 2020/21 Champions League title and had their more recent achievements multiplied by larger coefficients. Once that season dropped out, all their remaining results moved down one weighting level.

Sundowns also lost points through the rollover, but their new title was worth 30 and more than compensated.

The result was a rise from 62 to 73 points for Sundowns, while Al Ahly slipped from 78 to 66. That 23-point swing turned a 16-point Al Ahly lead into a seven-point advantage for the South Africans.

Domestic results do not alter the calculation. Sundowns were pipped by Orlando Pirates in the 2025/26 Premier Soccer League season, ending their run of eight successive league titles, but that setback has no bearing on CAF’s interclub coefficient.

Being number one brings practical benefits as well as well as that little extra bit of prestige and bragging rights.

The rankings are used for seeding, so Sundowns hold the strongest possible position when CAF assigns clubs to pots, although the precise procedures vary according to the stage of the competition.

It is not a guarantee of an easier route, but it rewards the years of work required to qualify repeatedly for the knockout rounds.

There is also a broader symbolism to Sundowns’ rise.

African club football has long been dominated by North African sides, particularly Al Ahly, Zamalek, Espérance and the leading Moroccan clubs. Sundowns have broken that hold through year-on-year consistency at the business end of the Champions League. The challenge is now to remain there.

Because the ranking is rolling, points are constantly losing value and eventually dropping out.

Sundowns cannot live indefinitely off the 2026 title. Their 30-point reward will become 24, then 18, 12 and finally six over the next four rankings before disappearing completely.

Al Ahly remain the continent’s greatest club historically, but measured by recent CAF competition performance, Mamelodi Sundowns are the current number one.

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The Buccaneers will kickstart their continental campaign with a trip to the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex to face the Mauritius outfit on Sunday afternoon.

Pirates will come into this fixture high in confidence after their comfortable 4-0 victory over Kruger United in the Betway Premiership.

Ouaddou has praised the warm welcome his side received in Mauritius but insists the Buccaneers must remain focused ahead of their CAF Champions League clash.

“The preparations for the game went very well, the welcome in the fantastic country was perfect, and thank you for the warm welcome,” Ouaddou said as per IDiskiTimes.

“We are expecting a difficult game against the champions of the country [Mauritius], so for us it is important to take that game very seriously and not underestimate any team.

“You know the Champions League, it’s something special, people are playing with motivation, they are playing with the fighting spirit. So hopefully we come here with a lot of ambition and to get the results here.”

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The Brazilians recently claimed their second star after securing a 2-1 aggregate victory over FAR Rabat to clinch the CAF Champions League title for the first time since 2016.

Sundowns are scheduled to face the Bundesliga outfit in a friendly match when they meet at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Friday, May 29.

“It’s really fantastic to get another star and to be an African champion, and about the assists, last year I missed an opportunity; this year I got an assist to score an important goal for us,

“For me, I am excited, very happy, very overwhelmed; it’s something that happens but not everyone can get it. It’s very difficult to get it and I’m very fortunate and very grateful to be able to win a CAF Champions League trophy.

“It’s something to be proud of, you know,” Matthews told his club’s media team.

“Not too long ago we played with one star in the final and now we’re going to play against Leipzig, an international team, with a jersey that has two stars on it.

“I wasn’t there (Germany) very long but the experience I got there was fantastic; for me, it was out of this world.”

“At least I can speak the language; it is very physical and very tactical in terms of a German play style and playing together as a team – those are some of their strengths.

“If you look at the national team as well, they’re very tactical and very physical in terms of their play style.

“I’m just looking forward to it; it’s going to be a nice game, and I also want to win the game with the first game that you play with two stars on the shirt.”

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The Brazilians secured their second CAF Champions League title after claiming a 1-1 draw against FAR Rabat and 2-1 on aggregate.

The Bafana Bafana midfielder scored the decisive goal for Sundowns with a superb strike to hand his side the trophy.

Mokoena dedicated the victory to everyone behind the club — from the supporters to the staff back home — while also setting his sights on bringing a second star to the famous Sundowns jersey.

“You know what’s funny in my dreams today when I was sleeping I saw myself scoring a goal like that and you know what I’ve been saying to my family I hope God is on our side tonight and we won,” Mokoena told SABC Sport after the game.

“So, I’m very grateful, very happy. I know how much this means for everyone back home. The staff, everyone, Mamzo in the kitchen, our supporters, small group about 57 people back home.

“I’m very excited, I don’t know what to say. Next time, we wear this jersey it’s going to be two stars.

“Oh yes, the Club World Cup, Super Cup, Intercontinental, and so many tournaments. Yes, I’m very happy.”

The post Mokoena: I Dreamt About Scoring A Goal Like That appeared first on SportsClub.

The Brazilians claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over the Moroccan side thanks to a goal from Aubrey Modiba at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

Sundowns will now take a one-goal advantage heading into the return leg, which takes place at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat on Sunday.

Williams is hopeful that the Brazilians can at last lift the coveted continental trophy since their last triumph in the competition was in 2016.

“That will be obviously amazing for the players, for the team, obviously as players we know how important the Champions League is to us, we know the amount of work and the effort that we’ve put in over the last few years, so hopefully we can go all the way and lift it,” Williams told the media.

“It will be a morale boost for the national team as well, but for now I think the most important thing is the club. You know how bad we want it, we knocked on the door a few times, hopefully the door will now open.”

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The 28-year-old reportedly dislocated his shoulder in Sundowns’ draw against Kaizer Chiefs in the Betway Premiership and spent the next two matches on the sidelines.

Cupido played the entire 90 minutes in the Brazilians’ 1-0 victory over the Moroccan outfit at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.

The Sundowns defender will be hoping to help his side to victory when they take on FAR Rabat at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat on Sunday.

“I had to take injection, but anything for the badge. If the team needs me, I have to be there, through pain or whatever. I am happy to be on the field again. It’s my happy place,” Cupido told the media.

“I am just lucky to be back on the field and I have to thank bra Saki. He said I should mention him.

“I should thank him and the Almighty and also the doctors at the team for helping me in those few days. They really showed up and I just want to say thank you to them as well.”

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Modiba scored the decisive goal in the first-leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium to hand his side a 1-0 win.

However, Modiba picked up an injury and limped off the field and was subsequently replaced by Divine Lunga.

The Portuguese tactician admitted the physical demands of a congested fixture schedule have taken a toll on his squad in recent weeks.

“Let’s see what will happen with Aubrey, but probably we will lose him,” Cardoso admitted to the media after the match

“It comes from the strains and impact and effort that we were obliged to submit to in the last month.”

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