There are four clubs from Africa among the 32 teams that have qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup, which will kick off on June 15.



World football’s governing body FIFA are hoping the new-look Club World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States next month, will mark a new era for the game and develop a four-yearly competition that has as much relevance and reverence as the World Cup for national teams.



Africa will play a part in the new vision: there are four clubs from the continent among the 32 teams that have qualified for the tournament, which will kick off on June 15.



It includes Mamelodi Sundowns, who are through to this season’s African Champions League final later in May and will be hoping to make some impact on the new-look Club World Cup.



It is a momentous opportunity for a South African side, rubbing shoulders with the most successful club sides from across the globe over the last years.



Egypt’s Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca from Morocco and Esperance of Tunisia are the other three African clubs who have qualified on the basis of their performances in the last four years of the African Champions League competition.



In their group, Sundowns have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund, who were runners-up in the UEFA Champions League last season; Rio de Janeiro giants Fluminense and Ulsan from South Korea.



It will be something of an upset if the Pretoria club progress past the first stage but even if they return home without a win, the tournament promises to be a massive learning curve and its financial spin off means Sundowns are set to continue their long-standing hegemony on the local scene.



They will reportedly receive a minimum of $9-million for participating in the tournament, with more money on offer for any victories they might achieve; $2 million is paid for winning group stage games, $7.5 million for playing in the round of 16 and $40 million to the team that wins the final at MetLife Stadium near New York on July 13.



FIFA aims to share $250 million among clubs worldwide who did not qualify for the tournament. But it is not yet clear how many clubs will be paid, or how much they will get.



The $1 billion Club World Cup prize pot is more than double the $440 million that FIFA shared among the 32 federations whose teams played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, further proof of their desire to make this new project work.



It is massive money for Sundowns to continue to buy the best players and extend their record-breaking run of championship success in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League.

Al Ahly v Mamelodi Sundowns – CAF Champions League

Money And Momentous Opportunity For Africa In New-Look Football Tourney

The new domestic soccer season gets underway in August and the Mamelodi Sundowns dynasty lives on. Can anyone break their stranglehold on the South African domestic league title? We speak to some of the top coaches.



Mamelodi Sundowns won an unprecedented sixth South African DStv Premiership title in a row in the 2022/23 season as their dominance of the domestic league continues in relentless fashion.



It is not just the fact they have lifted the trophy, but the manner of the victories has been so emphatic that the last three seasons in particular have been a one-horse race from the off.



They finished 13 points clear in 2020/21, and 16 points in front of second place in each of the last two seasons. The remainder of the league simply could not keep up with them.



Looking to the new campaign that starts in August, the question 



now is whether anyone can rise from the chasing pace and dethrone The Brazilians.



The most likely pretenders to the throne are Orlando Pirates, a giant of the local game who last lifted the league trophy in 2011/12 but went toe-to-toe with Sundowns in the second half of last season after a sticky start.



Pirates picked up 35 points in their final 15 games and Sundowns 33, as The Buccaneers’ Spanish coach José Riveiro got to grips with the DStv Premiership and the players at his disposal in his first year in charge.



If they can keep up that level through the 30 games of this coming season, they will have an excellent chance of being crowned champions.



“We have a fantastic group [of players] and resources,” Riveiro tells FORBES AFRICA.



“Emotionally, it’s been a tough fi rst season. It is not easy to do what you love in a different country. For me to be here, the learning process was dificult and things were not easy from the start.



“If we do the same things [next season], we are going to get less [success], so we have to do different things to improve.”



One factor that may hold the Pirates back in the coming campaign is that they will have the considerable distraction of the CAF Champions League.



The same is true for Sundowns, but at this stage the latter perhaps have a squad with more depth that makes them better equipped to juggle domestic and continental matters. Riveiro is confident his side can make an impact in both though.



“We are going into Africa to dream that we have the potential to go all the way. I’m a very optimistic person, so I have the intention to win it.



“We know we will fi nd dificult trips, difficult opponents and dificulties from the referees, but Mamelodi Sundowns did a fantastic job in the competition [last season] and showed that it’s possible for South African teams to compete.”



It will mean bolstering his squad, and just who they manage to sign will be key.



“There’s going to be players coming and going like every season. I hope not too many because it is important to have continuity to build on the things we have done already.”



As for who else could rival Sundowns, the pickings are slim. Kaizer Chiefs continue to falter and went backward in the last campaign, while SuperSport United overachieved but are in a constant cycle of having to sell their best players to balance the books. This transfer window looks no different.



“They’ve set the bar so high, I don’t think anybody is going to catch them in the next few years,” SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt says, adding other teams simply cannot match Sundowns in the transfer market. 



“Give us the fi ve to six players from Sundowns and we will show you where we can go,” he says ruefully. “We have a salary cap here, that is how we operate. That’s unfortunate, but we will have to find new players, try to build a team that is competitive and try to close the gap.”



Former Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane, who has since been replaced in the hotseat by Molefi Ntseki but remains an assistant with the team, also doesn’t see Sundowns dropping their level anytime soon, so it is up to the rest of the league to find a way to close that gap. 



“I think it is a challenge for everyone to take our game to another level. For us, we are a work in progress and we are getting better and better,” Zwane said. “It boils down to a lot of things: chemistry, preparation and having a long-term plan. We still have a long way to go. I wouldn’t talk about other teams because I don’t know what their plan is.



But as for us, we are on that journey of trying to revive the glory days.”



For anyone else hoping to win the DStv Premiership this coming season, the only thing that will get them over the line is consistency in performance, because relying on Sundowns to falter looks a pipe dream.

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