Mamelodi Sundowns will discover just how far their triumph in the CAF Champions League can carry them when they host Al Ahli Saudi at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday, 19 September 2026, in the African-Asian-Pacific Cup, a pivotal stage of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
The fixture pits South Africa’s most decorated modern club against Asia’s reigning kings in a meeting that carries both prestige and a route toward one of world football’s most coveted club prizes.
Sundowns earned their place in the tournament by lifting the 2025–26 CAF Champions League, defeating Moroccan side AS FAR in the final to claim a second champions league trophy for the Pretoria-based giants.
The triumph also secured South Africa’s representatives a spot in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, making them the first African club to qualify for back-to-back editions of that tournament under its current format.
Al Ahli Saudi arrive in Pretoria on the back of sustained dominance of their own, having claimed successive AFC Champions League Elite titles to represent Asia at this year’s Intercontinental Cup.
The Jeddah-based club confirmed their passage to the second round by edging Oceania representatives Auckland FC 1-0 in the opening round of the competition, a contest played at King Abdullah Sports City on Wednesday.
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup brings together champions from each of football’s six confederations in a structured knockout format.
Should Sundowns overcome Al Ahli on home soil, they will progress to the FIFA Challenger Cup, where they would face the winner of a fixture between the 2026 Copa Libertadores champions and Deportivo Toluca of Mexico, representing CONCACAF.
Victory at that stage would set up a mouth-watering final against Paris Saint-Germain, the UEFA Champions League holders and defending Intercontinental Cup champions from 2025.