Mamelodi Sundowns have arrived at the world stage to make South Africa, friends, families and Africa proud.
So, how did Sundowns achieve the FIFA Club World Cup dream? Why not the other Betway Premiership giants, Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates? Sundowns made it through FIFA’s ranking pathway, which rewards consistent performance in continental competitions. Over the past four years, Sundowns have consistently made the CAF Champions League quarterfinals, securing the much-needed points.
This record placed them among the highest-ranked African clubs, sealing one of the four African places for the expanded 32-team Club World Cup.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP FIXTURES IN GROUP F
FIFA Club World Cup: What time is the Sundowns match?
Kabo Yellow have been drawn in Group F alongside South Korea’s Ulsan HD FC, German giants Borussia Dortmund, and Brazilian powerhouse Fluminense.
- Wednesday, 18 June: Ulsan vs Sundowns at 00:00 from the Inter & Co Stadium, Orlando, USA.
- Saturday, 21 June: Sundowns vs Dortmund at 18:00 from the QTL Stadium, Cincinnati, USA.
- Wednesday, 25 June: Sundowns vs Fluminese at 21:00 from the Hard Rock Stadium, Florida, USA.
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COACH MIGUEL CARDOSO’S PREVIEW
“We understand the reality, but we’re willing to make our best in every challenge we face, and that’s also a test for us [to see] which level we’re at, because we know in Africa we are one of the biggest teams,” the Portuguese mentor told the media.
“But we also want to understand on which level we can be regarding different realities in the world, and obviously for myself, as a coach coming from Europe and having already worked in France’s Ligue 1, Spain’s La Liga, Greece, Ukraine, and Portugal, of course.
The Sundowns coach continued: “So I have quite a [good] idea of the level of teams and players, but it’s quite challenging to understand that teams will make a big difference, and we want to be very strong as a team.
“We know we have very important players, but we want to be very strong as a team when we arrive [back] in the Champions League,” Cardoso concluded.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM MAMELODI SUNDOWNS AT THE FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP?
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