Mamelodi Sundowns to face Al Ahli in FIFA Intercontinental Cup

Mamelodi Sundowns will host Al Ahli Saudi FC in Pretoria on 19 September, with a place in the next stage of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup at stake.

The South African club earned its place in the competition after winning the CAF Champions League last season. That success also secured Sundowns a place at the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, but their first opportunity to claim further international silverware will come in this year’s Intercontinental Cup.

Their opponents were confirmed after Al Ahli defeated Auckland FC 1-0 in the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific play-off on Wednesday.

Al Ahli are the former club of Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane and have won the AFC Champions League in consecutive seasons. The meeting will therefore bring Mosimane up against a side with which he has a strong history, while Sundowns look to continue their progress on the international stage.

The match in Pretoria will be the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup. Victory would give Sundowns or Al Ahli that title and send the winners through to the next phase of the Intercontinental Cup, the FIFA Challenger Cup.

At that stage, the winner will meet the winner of the FIFA Derby of the Americas. Concacaf champions Toluca are scheduled to face the eventual winners of the CONMEBOL Libertadores, with the outcome of that fixture deciding the other side of the next-round pairing.

The FIFA Challenger Cup winners will then face Paris Saint-Germain, the UEFA Champions League winners, for the FIFA Continental Cup trophy.

Paris Saint-Germain won the previous edition of the final after beating Brazilian giants Flamengo on penalties last season.

The current format of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup was introduced in 2024. FIFA describes the competition as an annual tournament “with winners from each of the six confederations given the chance to compete on the global stage on an annual basis”.

Sundowns’ qualification reflects the club’s status as African champions, while Al Ahli’s victory over Auckland FC ensured that the Asian representatives would provide the opposition in the opening stage of the tournament.

The 19 September fixture will also be the first match in the competition to be played by Sundowns since their CAF Champions League triumph. A win would take the South African side one step closer to a potential meeting with the winners of the FIFA Derby of the Americas, and ultimately a final against Paris Saint-Germain.

For Al Ahli, the victory over Auckland FC kept their challenge alive after a narrow play-off, setting up a return to South Africa for a match with particular significance for Mosimane, who previously managed the Saudi club.