From the seasonably chilly weather of Pretoria, South Africa, the Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. might not be one of the juggernauts of this year’s inaugural FIFA Club World Cup, but they bring with them a history and tradition of success in Africa and abroad.
Club Background
Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. was officially found in the 1960s under the name Marabastad Sundowns. The Sundowns portion of their name actually extends further back to the 1940s through a youth football club. One of the original players for Marabastad Sundowns was a young Bernard Hartze. In 1974, Hartze went on to play in the US for the an upstart club called the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Photo: nasljerseys.com
After a change in ownership 1969, the Sundowns moved to their current home and namesake of Mamelodi. The Sundowns enjoyed success throughout the 1970s before joining the newly formed National Professional Soccer League in 1978. For eight years, the Sundowns were up and down with no real consistency. That changed in 1985 when Zola Mahobe took over the club. At the same time, the reformed National Soccer League became the first-ever South African sports league to become non-racial. The new owner spent big and brought in an influx of South American talent. The club changed their kit colors to reflect the South Americans by mirroring the iconic Brazil National Team colors. This sparked one of the club’s many nicknames, the “Brazilians.”
Photo: kickoff.com
Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala had been a successful manager in the late 1980s for the Sundowns but his return in 1990 brought the club their first ever treble. Tshabalala’s style of play coined ‘The Shoe Shine and Piano’ has now become synonymous with the Mamelodi Sundowns. It is a blend of Spanish ‘Tiki-taka’ and Total Football which includes combinations of quick, short passes on the ground.
Photo: roadsandkingdoms.com
Recent History and Qualification
Fast forward to today and the Sundowns have become an African giant. Mamelodi has won the league title for eight consecutive seasons and finished top two in the past 12 seasons. Their performances in the CAF Champions League has been impressive as well. They have had three semifinal finishes in the past seven seasons and haven’t failed to advance to the quarterfinals in that time. They even won the Champions League trophy in 2016. Which qualified them for the 2016 FIFA World Cup when it was just a field of six clubs. The Sundowns qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup by way of cumulative CAF rankings over a four year period. Mamelodi Sundowns are ranked 2nd in the confederation during that period.
Photo: sabcsport.com
Current Squad
The 2024-2025 campaign saw the Sundowns lift the league trophy yet again with a 12-point cushion between them and second place. They did suffer a June 1st loss to Pyramids FC of Egypt in this year’s CAF Champions League Final. The club is unquestionably led by their start striker Lucas Ribeiro of Brazil. Riberio accounted for 20 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this year. Capitan for the squad is goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. Williams scored six clean sheets during the Sundowns’ 13 CAF Champions League matches.
The Path
Mamelodi Sundowns were drawn in Group F from pot 4. This means the club are grouped with Fluminense FC of Brazil, Borussia Dortmund of Germany and Ulsan HD of South Korea.
- vs Uslan HD | Tuesday June 17th at 6pm | Inter&Co Stadium; Orlando, FL
- vs Borussia Dortmund | Saturday June 21st at 12pm | TQL Stadium; Cincinnati, OH
- vs Fluminense FC | Wednesday June 25th at 3pm | Hardrock Stadium; Miami, FL
Photo: Giorgio Viera/AFP
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