The Albany Gazette - Mokoena goal worth millions of dollars for African champions Sundowns

His unstoppable shot from inside the box in first-half added time earned Sundowns a 1-1 second-leg draw at FAR Rabat of Morocco on Sunday and a 2-1 overall triumph.

Winning the marquee African club competition a second time earned Sundowns a record first prize of $6 mn -- up 50 percent from last season.

Sundowns now face USM Alger of Algeria, winners of the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup, in a one-off CAF Super Cup match worth $500,000 to the winners.

The match has been scheduled for October 31, most probably at Loftus Versfeld, a 50,000-seat Pretoria stadium Sundowns share with the Bulls rugby team.

Being crowned African champions a second time, after defeating Egyptian outfit Zamalek 10 years ago, qualifies Sundowns for the 2029 Club World Cup, possibly in Morocco.

Sundowns pocketed $12.5 mn from competing in the first edition last year in the United States, although eliminated after the group phase.

There was $9.5 mn for qualifying, $2 mn for beating Ulsan of South Korea and $1 mn for drawing with Fluminense of Brazil. A loss to Borussia Dortmund of Germany cost Sundowns a last-16 slot.

While an announcement about 2029 prize money is some way off, there will almost certainly be increases.

Sundowns are the second African qualifiers after 2025 CAF Champions League winners Pyramids of Egypt, who edged the South African side last season.

- Huge relief -

The spoils of victory do not end there for Sundowns. They also qualify for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. Pyramids collected $2 mn by reaching the semi-final stage.

By overcoming FAR, Sundowns avoided becoming the fifth club after Etoile Sahel and Esperance of Tunisia, TP Engelbert (now Mazembe) from DR Congo and Al Ahly of Egypt to lose consecutive finals.

Success came as a huge relief to Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso, who did not want to become the first coach to lose three straight CAF Champions League finals.

Cardoso, who turns 54 on Thursday, was unsuccessful with Esperance in 2024 and Sundowns last season.

Ahead of the second leg, Cardoso was under pressure having failed to win any of the four South African competitions this season, including the league.

Finishing second, one point behind Orlando Pirates, ended a run of eight straight championship titles for the Pretoria outfit.

Captained by national team goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Sundowns conquered Africa with a mix of local and imported stars.

National team coach Hugo Broos included nine of the squad, including Mokoena, in a preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Colombian Brayan Leon has scored 16 goals despite joining Sundowns only in January, Brazilian Arthur Sales is an option up front, and there is also Chilean midfielder Marcelo Allende.

Veteran Ugandan Denis Onyango is the reserve goalkeeper and Zimbabwean Divine Lunga competes with Aubrey Modiba, the first-leg match-winner, for the left-back spot.

(O.Garcia--TAG)