Mamelodi Sundowns are heading for another southern African battle in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, with the defending champions set to meet Angolan side Wiliete SC in the second preliminary round.
The Brazilians received a bye into the second preliminary round after being among the continent’s highest-ranked clubs, meaning they did not have to negotiate the opening stage of the competition.Â
Sundowns were originally drawn to face the winner of the first-round tie between Wiliete of Angola and Foresters FC of Seychelles.
However, Wiliete have put themselves in a commanding position after crushing Foresters 4-0 in the first leg in Benguela, leaving the Angolan side strongly placed to secure their passage to the next round.Â
Mabululu leads Wiliete charge
Angola international Mabululu was the star of Wiliete’s first-leg victory, scoring twice as the home side produced an impressive attacking performance.
His goals came after Wiliete had already established control of the contest, with the forward adding one goal in the first half and another shortly after the interval.
The result has placed Wiliete firmly in the driving seat ahead of the return leg against Foresters, which is scheduled for the September 11-13Â
Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the second leg, Sundowns can therefore expect an Angolan opponent when their Champions League campaign gets under way.
Sundowns enter the new Champions League campaign as the defending African champions, having won the 2025/26 title after beating Morocco’s AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate in the final.
Their continental triumph earned them a place among the three clubs exempted from the first preliminary round, together with Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis and Morocco’s RS Berkane.Â
The Pretoria giants will now attempt to become the first team in their immediate campaign to successfully defend the crown.
CAF has described Sundowns as the team everyone will want to beat after their impressive run to last season’s title. The South Africans defeated Stade Malien, eliminated Espérance in the semi-finals and then overcame AS FAR in the final.Â
A new-look Sundowns
The Champions League title defence will also provide a major test for Sundowns’ squad following significant changes during the off-season.
One of the biggest departures was long-serving striker Peter Shalulile, who left the club after scoring 136 goals for Sundowns, including 20 in the Champions League.
Despite his departure, Sundowns retain considerable continental experience, with captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, midfielder Teboho Mokoena and attacking midfielder Marcelo Allende among the players CAF has identified as key figures in the defending champions’ squad.Â
The challenge for coach Miguel Cardoso and his charges will be to maintain the standards that took them to the summit of African football last season.
The second preliminary round is scheduled to take place over two legs, with the first legs set for October 16–18 and the return legs for October 23–25.
CAF’s draw procedure has already determined that Sundowns will host the return leg of their second-round tie.
For Sundowns, the immediate objective will be simple: negotiate the Angolan challenge and secure a place in the group stage.
Only 16 clubs will survive the second preliminary round and advance to the group stage of the 2026/27 Champions League.Â
And with a reported USD6 million awaiting the eventual African champions, the stakes are enormous.
For Sundowns, however, the motivation goes beyond the prize money.
They are defending the crown they fought so hard to win last season — and the journey towards another African title is about to begin.