This is Mamelodi Sundowns: history, successes, and biggest stars

This is Club World Cup participant Mamelodi Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns is a South African soccer club based in Pretoria. Since the Premier League Soccer resumed in 1996, they have won 15 league titles, making them the country’s record champions. The team will compete in Group F of the FIFA Club World Cup, where they will face Borussia Dortmund, among others.

This is Mamelodi Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns: The history

Mamelodi Sundowns is a relatively young club, founded on November 30, 1969. In the early 1960s, a group of young men in northwest Pretoria (more precisely in Marabastad) laid the foundation, and in 1970, immediately after its founding, the club was officially registered.

In 1972, the Sundowns joined the Federation Professional Soccer League, which was renamed the Professional Soccer League six years later. In 1984, it became the Premier League Soccer.

Mamelodi was bought by Standard Bank in the late 1980s and shortly afterwards became part of the Twin Pharmaceutical Group. The 1997/98 season brought the Sundowns their first championship title, followed by a Champions League final in 2001.

The team has only officially been called Mamelodi Sundowns since 2006. Three years earlier, entrepreneur Patrice Motsepe acquired 51 percent of the club and renamed it.

Several successful years followed, and after a few up-and-down seasons, the club’s management decided to bring in coach Pitso Mosimane at the end of 2012. Under him, the team won several league titles and was crowned Champions League winner in 2016.

The greatest successes

Mamelodi Sundowns are South Africa’s record champions.

The Sundowns players have won the championship title 15 times and currently have something of a subscription to first place. After winning their first title in 1998, the team has been uncatchable since 2018.

Since 2014, there have only been two other champions. What the club lacks, however, are international trophies. In 2016, they won the CAF Champions League – in a highly curious manner.

They had actually already been eliminated and were playing in the Confederation Cup when their rivals from Congo were disqualified. Mamelodi moved up and secured victory in the final against Al Zamalek from Egypt.

The most important triumphs
  • 15x champions: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
  • 1x Champions League winner CAF: 2016
  • 1x Super Cup CAF: 2017

2025, the team came within a hair’s breadth of another Champions League triumph, but ultimately fell short against FC Pyramids, losing 1-1 and 1-2.

However, not only did they win the premier class in 2016, but they also won the CAF Super Cup a few months later. Coach Pitso Mosimane was responsible for this successful period.

After his departure in 2020, the Sundowns were set to win another first title. The newly founded African Football League was held for the first time in 2023, and the Pretoria club struck immediately.

Incidentally, the Mamelodi Sundowns women’s team can also play soccer, winning the CAF Champions League in 2021.

Mamelodi Sundowns squad: These are the top stars

With a total market value of €35.25 million (according to transfermarkt.de), the Mamelodi Sundowns squad is one of the least likely to win the Club World Cup.

There is no real star player; instead, Mamelodi wants to score points with team spirit. Brazilian Lucas Ribeiro is the most expensive player with a market value of €2.5 million.

Only 14 players have a seven-figure value. The squad includes only six foreign players, with the majority of players coming from South Africa.

This is head coach Miguel Cardoso

Mamelodi Sundowns are coached by Miguel Cardoso. The Portuguese coach turned 53 a few weeks ago and has only been in charge of the South African club since December 2024.

The coach has no shortage of experience. He took his first steps on the sidelines in the 1990s at FC Porto, but it would be some time before he was given the chance to take charge as head coach.

In the summer of 2017, he signed for Rio Ave, only to move to Nantes a year later. After just a few months there, it was all over, and his spell at Celta Vigo didn’t even last twelve months.

AEK Athens, Rio Ave again and finally Esperance, Tunis, Cardoso wants to finally achieve long-term success in Pretoria. With Mamelodi Sundowns, he won the South African championship at the first attempt in 2025 and also reached the final of the CAF Champions League.

The stadium

Mamelodi Sundowns play most of their home games at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. The arena in Pretoria has a capacity of 51,762 spectators and underwent extensive renovation in 2008, shortly before the 2010 World Cup.

Rugby matches are also played here. During the 2010 World Cup, fans were treated to five preliminary round matches and one round of 16 match, and in 1995, the Rugby World Cup was hosted here in Pretoria.

However, there is a second venue: Lucas Moripe Stadium. In addition to Mamelodi Sundowns, Supersport United also plays here. With a capacity of 28,900, it is much smaller than Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

It cost €168 million to complete and is named after Lucas Moripe, one of South Africa’s most famous national players, who died in 2024.

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