Taking a closer look at Sundowns' opponents at the Club World Cup

SA champions to rub shoulders with world's best outfits

- By Siyasanga Monoalibe

Mamelodi Sundowns could not have asked for a much better way to unwind and forget about the CAF Champions League final fiasco than going to the US to surround themselves with some of the best 'soccer' players in the world at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

The new-format of the Club World Cup will see 32 elite teams from across the globe gather in one country, and Sundowns will be part and parcel of the much-anticipated showpiece that kicks off next Sunday.

Masandawana have been pitted against German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, Brazilian giants Fluminense FC, and Ulsan HD FC of South Korea in Group F.

The PSL champions will open their account against Ulsan next Wednesday, on the 18th, which will be followed by Dortmund, and they will wrap up their group stages against arguably their toughest opponents, Fluminense.

"There are some teams we are familiar with, like Fluminense. We have similar traits in our build-up, in the way that they play. They share similar traits and structures. We used a lot of their clips and a lot of their build-ups as well," Ronwen Williams said after the draw in December.