Why Mamelodi Sundowns refused ‘impossible’ suggestion to play TS Galaxy next week

Mamelodi Sundowns are set to face TS Galaxy in their final 2025/26 Premier Soccer League outing on Tuesday at the Mbombela Stadium.

Victory for Masandawana will take their points tally to 71, hoping Orlando Pirates will fail to win the remaining two games for them to be crowned. Bucs have games against Durban City and Orbit College to conclude the edition and probably win their first title in South African top-flight for the first time since 2011/12 campaign.

Masandawana, your support has carried us. Let’s end the 2025/26 #BetwayPrem season together in Mpumalanga 🙌

⚽ TS Galaxy vs Mamelodi Sundowns
🏆 Betway Premiership
📆 12 May
⏰ 19H30
🏟 Mbombela Stadium
📺 SS 202#Sundowns #AreyengMasandawana pic.twitter.com/MAmVk9jM2v

— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) May 11, 2026

After the fixture with the Rockets, Sundowns will focus on two legged CAF Champions League final against Moroccan heavyweights AS FAR Rabat who beat RS Berkane in the semi-final.

The first leg will be in Mzansi at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium before making a trip to North Africa for the second meeting.

Play Galaxy in midweek? Impossible!

Coach Cardoso has now explained why they felt it was okay to play TS Galaxy on Tuesday as opposed to in between the final.

“No, that would be absolutely impossible. With the travel to North Africa, how would you make it? We could do it if we had two teams or one [squad] playing here and the other travelling, it’s impossible [for us],” he reasoned.

“Of course, it was the possibility we were given — even for you to understand when we came from Espérance, we could not fly in the night. There was no slot to fly in the night, we had to fly in the morning.

But we were told if we flew in the night, we’d have to play after two days – just for you to understand how we’re dealing with reality here,” he concluded.