Mamelodi Sundowns vs AS FAR Rabat: CAF Champions League final preview

Mamelodi Sundowns vs AS FAR Rabat: CAF Champions League final previewSouth Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns are seeking to end a below-par season on a high when they face AS FAR Rabat in Morocco.Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has lost the last two CAF Champions League finals [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]Published On 23 May 2026South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns will defend a 1-0 lead over Moroccan hosts AS FAR Rabat on Sunday in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final in a match that will be broadcast in more than 100 countries.It is also a game that has Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso under pressure, having lost the last two finals, and who is now leading the team into the most valuable club match staged in African football history.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Mexico beat Ghana as World Cup cohosts excel despite FIFA sanctionslist 2 of 4World Cup 2026: Who are the star players missing out on the tournament?list 3 of 4US says DRC team must isolate due to Ebola before arriving for World Cuplist 4 of 4Tuchel leaves Palmer and Foden out of England’s 2026 World Cup squadend of listAl Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the match.How much is at stake in the CAF Champions League final?The aggregate winners of the marquee African club competition pocket a record $6m plus the chance to bank a further $500,000 by winning a CAF Super Cup match.On top of that, whichever club is crowned champions at the 70,000-seat Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium is set for a minimum $9.5m payout as 2029 FIFA Club World Cup qualifiers.Sundowns were among four African entrants at the first edition of the world club championship in the United States last year and returned home $12.5m richer.Apart from the $9.5m participation fee, they pocketed an additional $2m for beating Ulsan of South Korea and $1m for drawing with Fluminense of Brazil.The second edition of the World Club Championship is scheduled for 2029, with Egyptian side Pyramids already securing a place, having beaten Sundowns in the 2025 Champions League final.Pyramids will be joined by the winners of the next three editions, starting with the showdown between AS FAR and Sundowns, both of whom have been African champions once.Why is Sundowns coach Cardoso under so much pressure?Portuguese Cardoso has taken clubs to the last two Champions League finals, only to fail with Esperance of Tunisia in 2024 and Sundowns last season.No coach has reached three consecutive Champions League finals and lost them all since the competition debuted in 1964.Portuguese Manuel Jose guided Al Ahly of Egypt to four straight title deciders from 2005 and won three. Another Ahly tactician, South African Pitso Mosimane, reached three in a row and won two.During his first full season in charge of the Pretoria outfit, Cardoso has not lifted a trophy, failing to win any of the three domestic knockout competitions.How have Sundowns fared in the South African Premiership?A day before Sundowns face AS FAR, Orlando Pirates won the South African Premiership by beating Orbit College, whose relegation was confirmed by the 2-0 defeat.With the Pirates crowned champions, it ends an incredible run by Sundowns, who won the last eight editions of the richest African national league.Should Sundowns lose to AS FAR, they will complete the season without a trophy, having pursued four in South Africa and one in Africa.What has Cardoso said about Sundowns’ form?The 53-year-old Portuguese admitted to reporters that Sundowns should have won the first leg by a wider margin last Sunday.“We could have scored one more goal and created a greater advantage,” said Cardoso. He might have been referring to Brayan Leon missing a sitter or a Teboho Mokoena free-kick hitting the post.“Provided we take the energy exhibited in the first match into the return game, we can become African champions again,” he says.How does AS FAR coach Santos shape up against Cardoso?In the AS FAR dugout will be another Portuguese coach, Alexandre Santos, four years younger than Cardoso. He is seeking his first African trophy.The contrast between the coaches is sharp. Cardoso moves up and down his technical area constantly, issuing instructions.Santos stands still for lengthy periods, emotionless. His hands sometimes cover his mouth as he intently observes what is unfolding.“The goal we conceded in South Africa was not our fault, but the great ability of a Sundowns player,” Santos says, mentioning a thunderbolt free-kick from full-back Aubrey Modiba.Modiba could miss the second leg after retiring injured last weekend. If unavailable, Zimbabwe international Divine Lungu is the likely replacement.How have AS FAR Rabat fared in the Moroccan league this season?AS FAR are one point behind the Botola Pro league leaders MAS Fes in the Moroccan domestic league, but do hold a game in hand on the table toppers.The 16-team league has seen AS FAR play 20 of their matches in this campaign, winning 10 while they remain the competition’s only unbeaten side this season.Only four points separate the top five teams in the league.Victory for Sundowns would end a run of nine straight Champions League titles for North African clubs, including two for Moroccan outfit Wydad Casablanca, since Sundowns triumphed in 2016.History offers few clues to the likely outcome, as six clubs have taken 1-0 first-leg leads in finals, with three going on to become champions and three failing.It would not be surprising if the title decider was settled either by away goals or a penalty shootout.En route to the final, AS FAR won five times and drew twice at home. Sundowns won twice, drew twice and lost twice in away matches.