Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns: Who has more money?

South African clubs like Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns are some of the richest football clubs in the country, both clubs also rank considerably amongst the richest in Africa.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) gives each club R2 million monthly grant. The money comes from television broadcasting rights and national sponsorships.

In addition, a PSL champion receives a R15 million prize money as the case will be in the 2023/24 league season; all this accumulates to the wealth clubs amass in the league.

Interestingly, the DStv Premiership also pays teams that come second and third handsomely. For instance, the top three teams take home R15 million, R7.5 million, and R3.75 million respectively.

Both clubs are the only sides in South African top-flight league to have won the CAF Champions League.

Richest club between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns

The amount of wealth a football club owns is not the only determining factor to its success; but also its ability to trade (buy and sell) good players in the industry with other teams. These are the reasons why some teams always dominate top positions in their league divisions nationwide.

Let's look at how Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns compare in terms of wealth in 2023.

Orlando Pirates

Orlando Pirates is situated in Houghton, Johannesburg. It was initially based in Orlando Soweto when it was founded in 1937. The club set the record of winning the Premier Soccer League title for three consecutive years since its establishment in 1996.

Otherwise known as the Buccaneers, they're one of the top three teams in South African football. Sundowns' dominance in the league has ensured that they remained second-best in the country, even as their last season's finish correctly suggested.

Orlando Pirates has an estimated net worth of R325.9 million in 2023. This figure puts them amongst the richest football clubs in the land. They're precisely ranked third in the richest South African clubs list.

Mamelodi Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns football club is the richest club in South Africa. The team is situated in Mamelodi, Tshwane. Sundowns officially became a football club in 1970 and became part of the National Soccer League in 1983.

The club is popularly called Masandawana, Sundowns or the Brazilians. They're not just the richest club, they're the best on and off the field.

The Sundowns have won the league title 16 times since its inception in 1996. The team also won the 2016 CAF Club Of The Year and Champions League titles and has sent most of its players overseas.

Business tycoon Patrice Motsepe, who doubles as current CAF President, owns Sundowns.

The club is worth about R382 million in 2023, making it the richest football club in South Africa. Additionally, the club has produced some of the wealthiest soccer players in the country.

With a net worth of R382 million, you can see that Mamelodi Sundowns are richer than Orlando Pirates who have a net worth of R325.9 million. The margin is a R56.1 million difference. This margin also transcends to their trophy cabinet as you can see below.