Mamelodi Sundowns are kings of African football once again. The South African giants were crowned 2025/26 CAF Champions League winners after battling to a dramatic 1-1 draw against AS FAR in Rabat on Sunday night, sealing a 2-1 aggregate victory to lift the continental crown for only the second time in club history.
A decade after their unforgettable 2016 triumph, the team have returned to the summit of African football, cementing their place among the continent’s modern greats.
The final in Morocco delivered everything: pressure, drama, missed penalties and a moment of pure brilliance.
With Sundowns carrying a narrow 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Pretoria thanks to Aubrey Modiba’s stunning free-kick, AS FAR entered the second leg determined to overturn the deficit in front of a packed home crowd.
The Moroccans struck first when captain Mohamed Hrimat converted from the penalty spot in the 40th minute to level the tie on aggregate and ignite the stadium.
But just when momentum seemed to swing fully toward the hosts, Sundowns produced the defining moment of the final.
Vice-captain Teboho Mokoena unleashed a thunderous long-range strike in first-half stoppage time, smashing the ball off the underside of the crossbar and into the net to restore Sundowns’ aggregate lead.
The goal stunned the Rabat crowd and shifted the pressure back onto AS FAR, who suddenly needed two more goals to win the trophy.
The drama was far from over.
AS FAR were awarded another penalty in the second half, but Sundowns captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams produced a massive save to deny Hrimat and preserve the South Africans’ advantage.
When the final whistle arrived, Sundowns players collapsed to the turf in celebration after completing one of the club’s greatest continental campaigns.
The triumph also delivered redemption for Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso, who finally captured Africa’s biggest club prize after suffering heartbreak in previous CAF Champions League finals.
Sundowns’ road to glory included victories over Nigerian champions Remo Stars, Tunisian giants Espérance and Moroccan powerhouse AS FAR, underlining the scale of their achievement.
Their latest triumph also strengthens South Africa’s proud legacy in African club football. Alongside Orlando Pirates, who won the continent in 1995, Sundowns continue to fly the South African flag at the very top of the African game.
And now, after years of chasing another continental crown, the South African side can say it proudly once again:
Champions of Africa.