Club World Cup Preview: Mamelodi Sundowns, out to prove who the real Brazilians are
Mamelodi Sundowns come into the Club World Cup full of confidence that they can get out of the group
Shoeshine and Piano, the club of Johan Neeskens and Stanley "Screamer" Tshabalala, total football meets Kasi flava. Mamelodi Sundowns is what you get when you mix beautiful football a billionaire and an identity crisis.
The club is backed by Patrice Motsepe, the tenth richest African, brother-in-law to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, close ally to Gianni Infantino and president of CAF, but as he constantly reminds us, he has passed on running of the club to his son Thlopie. They are perhaps the most glamourous club in Africa and have ambitions of being among the elite of world football and the Club World Cup but are deeply unpopular back home in South Africa and with the money earned from the Club World Cup could make South Africa one of the most one-sided leagues in the world.
The Season
This has certainly been a season of transition for the Brazilians. Having parted ways with coach Rhulani Mokoena, the idealogue known as the “African Guardiola”, it was always going to be a challenge to move on from someone who had shaped the club so strongly around themselves.
The man tasked with that job was Manqoba Mngqithi. Initially appointed as a co-coach with Mokoena and Steve Komphela in 2020, he stepped back to become Rhulani’s assistant and helped Mokoena extend Sundowns’ dominance domestically, where they had broken the points record.
But after a relatively slow start, and with fears the club might not make it out of a tough CAF Champions League group, Mngqithi was shown the door.
The only real criticism that Mokoena and Mngqithi faced during their successful tenure together was their inability to reach the Champions League final and so who better to turn to than the very man who stopped Sundowns reaching the final last season. Miguel Cardoso joined the team.
With the league title virtually a given, Cardoso was tasked with two jobs: win the Champions League and perform well at the Club World Cup.
Cardoso immediately brought about a positive change, he steered the team through the group stages, knocking out Moroccan giants Raja in the process.
With the side already missing out on the two minor cup competitions and a virtually unassailable lead in the league built up, the main trophies on offer for Cardoso were the Nedbank Cup (South Africa’s FA Cup) and the Champions League.
Cardoso’s first challenge was to take on his former charges in Espérance, which he did in consummate fashion, beating the Tunisians 1-0 over two legs. Sundowns next faced the ultimate test in Al Ahly. Having dominated African football for over a decade, it was inevitable that Sundowns would have to face the Red Devils if they wanted to get their hands on the Champions League trophy for the first time since 2016.
A nervy 0-0 draw in Pretoria set the stage perfectly for the return leg in Cairo. With away goals in play in African football, Sundowns knew a goalscoring draw would be enough. A brilliant goal from Taher Mohamed gave the Egyptians the lead and it looked like it would be the same-old Sundowns yet again. A third semi final exit and a seventh knockout exit in a row was on the cards. That was until the 90th minute when a deflected cross came off Yasser Ibrahim and sent Sundowns through to the final.
It was the complete reversal of the Masandawa identity. For years, Sundowns could claim to play the best football on the continent but fall at the final hurdle, either because of rotten luck or a naivety. In 2025 the lady luck was dressed in bright yellow and Sundowns were now a resilient defensive team.
In the final, Sundowns had to face new billionaire boys on the block Pyramids FC. With virtually no Champions League experience to their name, Pyramids were seen as outsiders and Sundowns looked destined to finally win back the Champions League.
After taking the lead at home, Sundowns looked set to take a 1-0 lead to Cairo but this time a late equaliser punished Sundowns, Pyramids scored with virtually the last kick of the game to take the advantage home.
And in a half-full 30th of June stadium Pyramids saw out a 2-1 win over a Sundowns side lacking in ideas.
But despite the challenging end to the season that also saw them exit the Nedbank Cup at the semi final stage, they are confident coming into the Club World Cup.
They have one of the deepest squads around, leaving behind a handful of players who have quarter final legs, experience against Espérance.
That depth, has allowed the team to rotate heavily in the finals weeks of the season more time with Cardoso with the players to get across a philosophy that should be suited for the Club World Cup.
The Squad
With depth in virtually every position, Sundowns are well equipped for the Club World Cup. The back four is relatively settled and bolstered by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams who last year was voted the ninth best goalkeeper in the world and the first African to ever be nominated for the Lev Yashin trophy.
The back four of Kholiso Mudau, Grant Kekana, Mosa Lubisa and Aubrey Modiba are all Bafana Bafana regulars. With the exception of Lubisa, the other three started for the national team at the AFCON last year. Lebusa’s replacement was Mothobi Mvala who is also at Sundowns.
A midfield duo of Marcello Allende and Teboho Mokoena bring combatitiveness, sleekness on the ball, and in Mokoena’s case a sprinkling of game changing magic.
Despite the large swath of attacking options, that has been where Sundowns have struggled of yet. None of Jayden Adams, Tashreeq Matthews, Arthur Sales or Peter Shalilule have been consistent at the top end. The one exception going forward is Lucas Ribeiro, who cutting in from the left wing has been the best player for Sundowns this season.
The Coach
Football is often guilty of using national tropes about playing and coaching style. Having said that, Miguel Cardoso is the absolute stereotypical Portuguese coach.
He started his coaching career as a youth coach with Portuguese side Espinho before spending eight years in as a youth coach with Porto, leaving in 2004 just after Jose Mourinho’s senior side won the UEFA Champions League. He also spent three years as an assistant to Paolo Fonsceca during his very successful stint with Ukrainian club Shaktar Donestk.
After a series of indifferent spells across Europe, he saw his greatest success when he moved to Africa and took over Espérance. Despite lasting under a year at the club, he took a very unfancied side to the Champions League final, beating Sundowns in the semi finals on the way. He also won the Tunisian top flight.
His victory over Sundowns was ultimately what made the Brazilians hierarchy choose to hire Cardoso. It was felt that he could bring the kind of defensive resilience that the team had lacked under Mokoena.
Opinion of Cardoso with the fanbase is split, with many feeling he takes the club too far away from its heart of shoeshine and piano. But he is popular with the players and is well suited tactically for a competition that Sundowns will be big underdogs for.
The Group
Sundowns will be very pleased with their group. They have avoided the biggest European giants, instead drawn with an inconsistent Dortmund side that may not be up for the competition.
They have also avoided either of the Brazilian big boys, instead drawn with Fluminense who, while possessing some big names like Thiago Silva and Ganso, are not of the same calibre of Flamengo or Palmeiras.
But if Sundowns are to progress, they have to beat Ulsan HD. The Koreans, while having won three Korean titles and reached last year’s AFC Champions League semi finals, are not in a particularly good place. They currently sit third in the K League, a whopping nine points off Jeonbuk. Both being relative outsiders in the group, Sundowns and Ulsan can only afford to win the opening game when they clash, anything else will be a failure.
Key Player
Sundowns are full of regular internationals, with the core of the Bafana Bafana side coming from Pretoria. But their best player is one of the few foreigners in Lucas Ribeiro. The Brazilian is a terrific playmaker. While starting on the right, his best work is often done when he drifts in to the centre where he can find pockets of space.
He regularly comes up with big moments, including when his super cross field pass opened up Espérance in the Champions League that send Sundowns through. If the Masandawana are going to get out of this group, it will likely be through the quality that Ribeiro brings.
Predictions
As I said before, everything rides on that first game. If they beat Ulsan and the others draw, Sundwons will be likely to go through. But if they don’t win, I can’t see any way back. I think they will beat Ulsan 1-0 but it won’t be enough and they’ll come third.