Mamelodi Sundowns vs AS FAR - Sundowns' Road to the 2026 CAF Champions League Final

John Eastwood

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Last updated: 16 May 2026

John Eastwood 16 May 2026

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Sundowns overcame a tricky group stage with a must-win final game vs MC Alger.
They defeated Stade Malien and Esperance in the Knockout Rounds to reach the CAF Champions League final.
Brayan Leon tops the scoring for Sundowns (5 goals), whilst Nuno Santos has eight goal contributions (3 goals, 5 assists).

Sundowns are chasing a first CAF Champions League triumph in 10 years (Getty Images).

Sundowns' Early Rounds

The Brazilians faced Remo Stars of Nigeria in the qualifying rounds, winning 7-1 on aggregate over two legs. They won 5-1 away and 2-0 at home.

In the Group Stages, things were less straightforward. They were drawn with Congolese side St Eloi Lupopo, as well as MC Alger of Algeria and Al-Hilal Omdurman of Sudan. In the end, Sundowns finished second in Group C with two wins, three draws and one loss.

Going into matchday six, they had to beat MC Alger or their CAF journey would have come to a premature end. Sundowns won 2-0 on the day thanks to a brace from January signing, Brayan Leon.

Downs' Knockout Rounds

Masandawana drew Malian giants, Stade Malien in the quarter-finals. A 3-0 home win was followed by a nervy 2-0 defeat in the second leg. That victory set up a semi-final with Esperance, the former club of Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso.

A 1-0 win away in Tunisia saw Sundowns survive 17 shots from their opponents. A 1-0 home win in the second leg secured a spot in the final.

Stage	Opponent	Venue	Score
Qualifying Round first leg	Remo Stars	Away	5-1
Qualifying Round second leg	Remo Stars	Home	2-0
Group C - Matchday One	St Eloi Lupopo	Home	3-1
Group C - Matchday Two	MC Alger	Away	0-0
Group C - Matchday Three	Al-Hilal	Home	2-2
Group C - Matchday Four	Al-Hilal	Away	1-2
Group C - Matchday Five	St Eloi Lupopo	Away	1-1
Group C - Matchday Six	MC Alger	Home	2-0
Quarter Final first leg	Stade Malien	Home	3-0
Quarter Final second leg	Stade Malien	Away	0-2
Semi Final first leg	Esperance	Away	1-0
Semi Final second leg	Esperance	Home	1-0

Sundowns' Key Player Stats

Across their 12 matches in this season's competitions, the top scorer for Sundowns is Brayan Leon with five goals. He has played just 517 minutes, but has made a massive impression in this competition.

Arthur Sales and Nuno Santos have three goals each, as Sundows have leaned heavily on their foreign continent in their pursuit of a second CAF Champions League crown.

Nuno Santos (5) and Aubrey Modiba (4) lead the assist charts for the club. Khuliso Mudau and Teboho Mokoena are the only players to have featured in all 12 CAF matches this season.