Copenhagen sign World Cup scorer Thapelo Maseko after Sundowns success

South Africa winger Thapelo Maseko has joined Copenhagen from Mamelodi Sundowns for €1.5m, completing a move to the Danish Superliga club on 18 August.

The 22-year-old has signed a contract running until 30 June 2030 and will continue his career in Europe after winning major honours with Sundowns. Maseko, who plays on the right wing and favours his left foot, has been handed a long-term deal by Copenhagen.

Maseko leaves Sundowns after helping the South African club win the CAF Champions League in the 2025-26 season. He also collected two South African league titles during his time with the club, in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

His record with Sundowns includes success in the African Football League, which he won in 2023-24. That season also saw him finish as the competition’s leading scorer with two goals.

The move follows a spell with AEL Limassol in Cyprus during the second half of the 2025-26 campaign. Maseko joined AEL on loan from Sundowns on 20 January 2026 before returning to the South African club at the end of June.

He originally joined Sundowns from SuperSport United in July 2023. Before that, he progressed from SuperSport’s reserve side to the senior team, establishing his pathway through South African football before moving to one of the country’s leading clubs.

Maseko also featured for South Africa at the 2026 World Cup. He made three appearances in the tournament, starting 75% of the matches in which he played, and scored once. Those appearances came before his transfer to Copenhagen.

Born in Sebokeng, Gauteng, Maseko is 1.78m tall and joins Copenhagen at the beginning of the 2026-27 season. He had not yet appeared in the Betway Premiership or MTN8 during the new campaign before completing the move.

Copenhagen have now secured Maseko’s services through the end of the 2029-30 season, with the player leaving Sundowns after three years at the club.