South African football fans could be in for a treat after the CAF Champions League draw left open the possibility of Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates facing off in the final.
Sundowns and Pirates were separated in the quarter-final draw conducted in Doha, Qatar on Thursday and South Africa’s top two teams will not cross paths again up to the final, if they make it that far.
Miguel Cardoso’s team will face his former team Esperance in the quarter-final, renewing acquaintances after playing against each other in last season’s semi-final, when the Tunisian giants won 2-0 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, Pirates face Algerian giants MC Alger in the quarter-final, a stage they have not been to since 2013, although their unbeaten run in the group stage suggests they will not be pushovers.
How will the semis look like?
The quarter-final first leg will be played on April 1 with the return legs seven days later and after that, the semi-final path has already been laid.
Sundowns will take on the winner between holders and record 12-time champions Al Ahly and Sudanese giants Al-Hilal, while Pirates will tackle either AS FAR of Morocco or Pyramids of Egypt in the semi-final, if they reach the last four.
That leaves it open for an all-South African final pitting Sundowns and Pirates over two legs. There has never been an all-PSL final in the Champions League and making that far for both would be a great exhibition for South African football that has been on the up in recent years.
Bafana Bafana have shown remarkable improvements in the last two years, finishing third at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, and qualified for the 2025 tournament top of their group and unbeaten, with a team composed largely of Sundowns players.
Jose Riveiro got his wish but…
Pirates coach Jose Rivairo had already been drumming up support for an all-South African final and got his wish when the draw was made although a lot of work -remains for both teams before they can dream of such a matchup.
“If it’s Sundowns, it’s going to be a big clash for the country. It’s going to attract a lot of attention. But hopefully, it’s not this time (in the quarterfinals). Hopefully, it’s a little bit later in the competition. It would actually be better for all of us if that game happens at the end,” Riveiro said in the days leading up to the draw.
The two teams now have their work cut out as the group stage suggested there are reasons to be optimistic or also things to improve.
Sundowns struggled to get out of their group, finishing second, after a nervy final match, while Pirates sealed their place with a match to spare.
Can Pirates maintain their fine final run?
However, Sundowns have already laid the first blow on Pirates this season, beating them 4-1 in the PSL two weeks ago, which suggests Riveiro’s team are not there yet.
The two teams have an even record in recent meetings with both Sundowns and Pirates winning two of their last five and one ending in a draw.
However, Riveiro’s team have the physiological edge as the two wins have come from finals, beating Sundowns 2-1 in the Nedbank Cup final last June, having silenced the Brazilians to win the MTN8 in October 2023.
