Mamelodi Sundowns suffer shock CAF Champions League exit

Mamelodi Sundowns will not feature in this season’s CAF Champions League after being eliminated in the second preliminary round by Angolan club Wiliete.

The South African side, regarded as one of the competition’s leading teams, were knocked out after a goalless first leg. In the return match at Loftus Versfeld, Wiliete scored an equaliser, with the away goal securing qualification for the Angolan club.

The result has caused a major upset in African football and leaves Mamelodi Sundowns as the competition’s most notable absentee.

It is several years since a defending champion was eliminated before reaching the group stage. Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia, Al Ahly of Egypt and Raja Casablanca of Morocco have all previously suffered the same disappointment.

Mamelodi Sundowns now join that list of former winners unable to defend their title. The club are two-time African champions, having lifted the trophy in 2016 and 2026, but their early departure brings an abrupt end to a remarkable run in the competition.

The South African club had made 10 consecutive appearances in the CAF Champions League. That sequence has now been broken after Wiliete took advantage of the decisive goal at Loftus Versfeld to progress at their expense.

Mamelodi Sundowns had also reached the final in each of the previous two seasons, making their elimination in the preliminary rounds particularly significant.