EXPLAINER: What Mamelodi Sundowns face in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup
Mamelodi Sundowns will carry the hopes of African football into the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2026 when they host Asian champions Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in Pretoria on Saturday, 19 September, with a trophy and a place in the next stage of the global competition on the line.
The South African giants qualified as winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2025/26, having defeated Morocco’s AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate to claim their second continental crown.
That triumph also earned Sundowns a record USD 6 million CAF prize and qualification for both the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2026 and FIFA Club World Cup 2029.
Here is what you need to know about the competition and the challenge ahead.
What is the FIFA Intercontinental Cup?
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is FIFA’s annual global club competition, bringing together the champions of each of the six confederations.
It was introduced in its current form in 2024 after FIFA restructured the old annual Club World Cup. The FIFA Club World Cup name is now used for the expanded 32-team tournament staged every four years, while the Intercontinental Cup ensures there is still an annual world competition for continental champions.
Real Madrid won the inaugural edition in 2024 and Paris Saint-Germain followed in 2025, defeating Flamengo on penalties in the final. PSG return as European champions in 2026 and receive direct entry to the final.
How does the format work?
Asia and Oceania meet first in the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Play-Off, with Al Ahli defeating Auckland FC 1-0 in Jeddah in August through a second-half goal from Saleh Abu Al Shamat.
That victory earned the Saudi side a trip to Pretoria to face Sundowns in the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup.
The winner will lift a FIFA trophy immediately and advance to the FIFA Challenger Cup.
Before then, Concacaf champions Toluca will face the yet-to-be-determined CONMEBOL Libertadores winners in the FIFA Derby of the Americas.
The Derby winner then meets the Sundowns-Al Ahli winner in the Challenger Cup, with the victor advancing to the Intercontinental Cup final against PSG.
Back on the world stage
This is not Sundowns’ first experience of FIFA global club competition. Their previous appearance under the old annual Club World Cup format came in 2016, after they won their first CAF Champions League title.
They lost 2-0 to Japanese champions Kashima Antlers in their opening game before going down 4-1 to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of Korea Republic in the fifth-place match.
A decade later they return with considerably greater continental experience and as two-time African champions.
Africa’s best performances
No African club has yet been crowned annual world champion, but the continent has twice reached the final.
TP Mazembe made history in 2010 when they became the first club from outside Europe or South America to reach the Club World Cup final. The DR Congo giants beat Pachuca 1-0 and stunned Copa Libertadores champions Internacional 2-0 before losing 3-0 to Inter Milan in the decider.
Three years later, Raja Casablanca repeated the feat on home soil in Morocco. Raja defeated Auckland City, Monterrey and Atlético Mineiro before Bayern Munich ended their remarkable run with a 2-0 victory in the final.
Egyptian giants Al Ahly have been Africa’s most consistent performers, finishing third four times – in 2006, 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Africa in the new format
Africa has also made an impressive start under the new Intercontinental Cup structure.
In 2024, Al Ahly beat Al Ain 3-0 in Cairo to become the first winners of the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup before eventually losing on penalties to Pachuca in the Challenger Cup.
Then in 2025, Pyramids FC went one better in terms of their route through the early stages. They defeated Auckland City 3-0 before producing an excellent 3-1 away victory against Al Ahli in Jeddah, with DR Congo striker Fiston Mayele scoring a hat-trick to lift the African-Asian-Pacific Cup.
Their run ended with a 2-0 defeat to Flamengo in the Challenger Cup, one victory short of a final against PSG.
Sundowns now have the opportunity to make it three successive African winners of the African-Asian-Pacific Cup.
What is the prize money?
The 2025 champions received USD 5 million, runners-up USD 4 million, the team eliminated in the Challenger Cup received USD 2 million and the Derby of the Americas loser received USD 1 million.
That meant Pyramids collected USD 2 million after their Challenger Cup defeat to Flamengo.