Pirates and Sundowns can launch two-pronged attack on Champions League

For the first time since the 2018-19 season, the country's two most successful continental competitors, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, will compete in the Caf Champions League group stages together.

An overlooked fact of perennial knockout stage competitors Sundowns' progression to the group stage, by beating Mbabane Swallows of Eswatini 8-0 on aggregate in the second preliminary round, is it is their 10th in succession — effectively a decade reaching that stage since winning the competition in 2016.

They are joined by Jose Riveiro's Pirates, who, with four domestic cups in the Spaniard's two seasons, are looking leaner and meaner than those campaigns at the start of 2024-25. Bucs saw off the team that shocked them at the same stage last campaign, Jwaneng Galaxy of Botswana, 3-0 on aggregate.

Sundowns and Pirates, are the teams, along with SuperSport United, that have done the most to turn around what was in the 2000s a dismal record for South African clubs in continental competition.

Pirates, under Roger de Sá, began the turnaround, stunning big names with a stirring run to the 2013 Champions League final. Soon after Pitso Mosimane arrived to rebuild an underachieving Sundowns, who had gone six years without a trophy under a succession of big-name foreign coaches, and steered them to the 2016 Champions League title — only the second South African winners after Pirates in 1995.

Downs have not looked back, with quarterfinal, group stage, semifinal, three quarterfinal and two semifinal finishes since under Mosimane, a co-coaching trio of Rulani Mokwena, Manqoba Mngqithi and Steve Komphela, and the last two of those under Mokwena alone.

Mokwena's shock off-season departure to Wydad Athletic has left Mngqithi under pressure in his first spell as Downs’ head coach to at least match those semifinal placings.

Pirates' Caf fortunes since 2013 have been far more mixed, the Buccaneers unable to establish a world-class operation comparable to Downs' to maintain a constant presence in the group phase. Pirates did not qualify for the Champions League again until that lone next group appearance in 2018-19, then exited in the preliminary rounds in 2019-20 and last season. During that period, though, Bucs did further enhance their reputation in Africa losing in the lesser Confederation Cup final in 2015 and 2021-22.

But Downs' merging of the financial backing afforded by Patrice Motsepe's ownership and coaches capable of harnessing it has resulted in a definite power shift to the Pretoria club, evidenced by their remarkable seven Premiership titles in succession, two by points records.

Big three rivals Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs might not catch up for the foreseeable future, but both seem to have realised that closing the gap will be best achieved through building squads capable of competing more consistently continentally, which results in domestic success as a byproduct.

“[Being in the group stages is] something we have to replicate every year with a club like Pirates, to be there with the best teams on the continent,” Riveiro said after his team's 1-0 second-leg win against Galaxy at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

“We have a young team. For most of our players it's their first time in the group stages; for the coach who's talking to you it's the same case. We're really satisfied with our performance — clean sheets in four games, scoring a good amount of goals.

“We will be having our first experiences in [group stage] matches and we're sure it's going to help the players feel more confident and continue improving in our Champions League performances in future.”

Riveiro said the improvement from last season's embarrassment against Jwaneng comes hand in hand with Bucs' progression under his technical staff's stewardship.

The gap in Pirates' league runners-up finishes to Sundowns of 16 and 23 points was due to bad starts to Riveiro's first two campaigns. This season Bucs have reached the MTN8 final, Champions League group stage and won their first league game — six wins and two draws in all. Riveiro's game model seems to be being implemented with greater efficiency in his third campaign. Their players are group stage rookies, but Bucs have form and a squad and coaching staff capable of upsetting more pedigreed clubs.

It seems to come as some relief to Sundowns to have some South African company in the group stages. The last time they did was when Chiefs made their sole entry into the round robin in 2020-21 and sensationally continued to the final to lose against Al Ahly.

Downs coach Mngqithi said the two most successful teams in Caf football, and two squads and technical staffs best-geared towards continental success being in the group stage together again is a healthy situation.

“For South Africa to have two teams there, that's big,” Downs' coach said after his team's second 4-0 win at Lucas Moripe Stadium in the space of a week on Saturday. Swallows played both their matches in Pretoria due to the lack of a Caf-sanctioned venue in Eswatini.

“That's when you start to maximise the chances of a South African team winning the Champions League. It would be nice if both teams can also got through to the quarterfinals because once we are there anything is possible.

“It will be nice [if in future], if we don't win it that it's won by Pirates, or if Pirates don't win we do, just like Zamalek were doing with Al Ahly for the longest time. It would really be nice to get ourselves to that level where it's not only the dominance of the North Africans, but in Sadc we are also well represented.”

It's very nice to see young talent coming up at Sundowns. Tiwani has established himself as a first team player, Khoza, Letlhaku and Mabena are in that direction. And I believe there are still many more we are eyeing to make sure we give these boys an opportunity earlier in their careers and open opportunities for them to go abroad.

—  Manqoba Mngqithi

Downs seem to be adjusting to Mngqithi's first tenure as head coach, though there have been teething problems. They looked poor in their first few games and succumbed to a determined Stellenbosch FC with defeats in both legs of the MTN8 semifinals. Mngqithi has sidelined big-name players such as Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau and used Themba Zwane off the bench. The group stage will provide a test of the coach and his squad and at Downs there is always pressure to reach the Champions League quarters at least.

Mngqithi has some exciting emerging players as Downs have signed young ahead of 2024-25, aware of a need to regenerate their squad.

Defenders Malibongwe Khoza, 20; Asekho Tiwani, 18; and Kegan Johannes, 23; and attackers Kutlwano Letlhaku, 17, and Siyabonga Mabena, 17, are among young players thrown in by Mngqithi at the start of the campaign, many of them against Swallows. They will bring energy to the Brazilians along with the quality added by bigger-name signings such as Brazilian centre-forward Arthur Sales, also only 22; Kobamelo Kodisang and Iqraam Rayners.

“The only thing I'm a little unhappy about is they [the young players] played both these matches [against Swallows] in Pretoria. I do want them to gain the experience of playing outside and fighting against conditions that are a bit abnormal.

“But it's very nice to see young talent coming up at Sundowns. Tiwani has established himself as a first team player, Khoza, Letlhaku and Mabena are in that direction. And there are still many more we are eyeing to make sure we give these boys an opportunity earlier in their careers and open opportunities for them to go abroad.”

There are few better stages than the Champions League for Downs’ and Pirates’ stars to attract such international attention.