MTN8 final: Sundowns’ continental success will not decide Pirates clash, says Carelse

Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Brent Carelse believes the club’s recent success in African and international competitions will not necessarily give them an advantage over Orlando Pirates in Saturday’s MTN8 final.

Sundowns have reached the CAF Champions League final in each of the past two seasons and, after losing to Pyramids in the 2024/25 campaign, claimed the trophy for the second time in their history in May this year.

The South African side, also known as Masandawana, then featured at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup before returning to international competition in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

They faced Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli in the second round of that tournament, winning 2-1 to lift the African-Asian Pacific Cup and reach the third round.

However, Carelse does not expect that experience to have a decisive influence when Sundowns meet domestic rivals Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

“I don’t think that is going to come into play,” he told KickOff.

Asked whether Sundowns’ achievements could provide an edge, Carelse said the answer was both yes and no, highlighting Pirates’ strong record in South African cup competitions.

“​​Yes and no, because I think if you talk about local football, Pirates have dominated cup competitions in the last few seasons,” he said.

“Yes it might be a boost, they’ve won the African-Asian Pacific Cup and they are African champions but I don’t think that is going to come into play.”

‘They will be looking for revenge’

Carelse suggested Sundowns could be driven more by their recent defeats by Pirates in domestic finals than by their success on the continental and international stages.

He believes the prospect of settling those scores may be a greater motivation for the reigning African champions as they seek to win the MTN8.

“Maybe in the back of their mind they will be looking for revenge, because obviously they’ve lost out now on a few occasions to Pirates,” he said.

“I think they are going to look at that more than that [CAF and FIFA experience].”

The final brings together Sundowns’ recent dominance beyond South Africa and Pirates’ success in domestic knockout competitions, with Carelse insisting the latter may carry greater relevance when the two sides meet.