Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions Mamelodi Sundowns will participate in the inaugural edition of the African Football League, having been named among the eight clubs to take part in the tournament this year.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) enlisted the 13-time PSL winners alongside notable African club football champions: Al-Ahly of Egypt, Esperance of Tunisia, Petroleos de Luanda of Angola, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Simba SC of Tanzania, Enyimba FC of Nigeria, and TP Mazembe of Congo.
FACT: CAF has announced that the new African Football League will feature 8 of the continent’s most successful teams.
🇪🇬 Al Ahly
🇳🇬 Enyimba
🇹🇳 Esperance
🇿🇦 Mamelodi Sundowns
🇦🇴 Petro de Luanda
🇹🇿 Simba
🇨🇩 TP Mazembe
🇲🇦 WydadDraws will be held on Saturday in Cairo.
— Facts East Africa (@east_facts) August 30, 2023
The draws for the tournament will be held on the 2nd of September in Cairo, and the format will be a two-legged knockout tie starting from the quarterfinal stage.
Mamelodi Sundowns will be dreaming to win this one of a kind tournament, and with the help of their vociferous fan base, the PSL record champions can achieve this historic feat.
Why Mamelodi Sundowns and not Kaizer Chiefs?
Mamelodi Sundowns will become the first PSL side to participate in the African Football League, and that's not far-fetched since they've dominated the league in the past years.
Teams like Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have not been able to compete favourably with Mamelodi Sundowns in the last six years; as a matter of fact, the gap between Sundowns and the rest of the PSL clubs is colossal.
Masandawana are the most successful team in the Premier Soccer League era and are regarded as one of the giants in African club football.
It is worth knowing that since the inception of the Premier Soccer League in 1996, the ‘Brazilians' as fondly called, have won the league title a record eleven times, the CAF Champions League in 2016, and were voted CAF Club of the Year the very same year.
They've also won the Nedbank Cup four times, and hold the joint record of three National Football League Championships, not forgetting they're also the only South African team to have competed in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Rhulani Mokwena's side have won the PSL in six consecutive seasons, a stretch which started from the 2017/18 to 2022/23 campaign.
As current champions, they were chosen to represent South Africa in the African Football League which is similar to the botched European version of the Super League.
Sundowns will get a second chance at continental glory after winning the CAF Champions League title in 2016.
The club went as far as the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League last season, they'll also be looking to appear in the finals of the 2023/24 season.
Mamelodi Sundowns will kick-start their 2023/24 CAF Champions League campaign by facing Burundi Premier League side Bumamuru in the second qualifying round which comes up in September. It is worth mentioning that they were waved off from taking part in the first qualifying round.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
