Mamelodi will be the latest South African side to face a CAF club competition semifinal
South Africa football clubs have a strong record in CAF club competition semifinals, with nine victories out of 13 attempts. Mamelodi Sundowns will be the latest team from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to contest a semifinal, facing Wydad Casablanca in the first leg of their tie on Saturday. Although it will be a challenging match, history shows that South African clubs have generally done well at this stage of continental competitions.
The PSL teams have won the semifinals in each of the last two seasons, with Kaizer Chiefs beating Wydad in the 2020/21 Champions League and Orlando Pirates advancing past the Last 4 of the Confederation Cup by defeating Al Ahly Tripoli from Libya in the same year.
Orlando Pirates have the most semifinal appearances with six, including three in the Champions League (W2 L1), two in the Confederation Cup (W2), and one in the now defunct CAF Cup Winners’ Cup (L1). Mamelodi Sundowns have also made it to three previous continental semifinals, all in the Champions League. They emerged victorious in the first two, beating Petro Atletico of Angola on penalties in 2001 and defeating ZESCO United from Zambia 3-2 on aggregate in 2016 when they went on to lift the trophy. However, they lost to Wydad in the most recent semifinal in 2018/19.
Kaizer Chiefs have a perfect record in their two CAF semifinal appearances, having beaten Club African from Tunisia 3-0 on aggregate in the 2001 Cup Winners Cup and stunning Wydad with a 1-0 aggregate success in the 2020/21 Champions League. Jomo Cosmos, the first team to represent South Africa in continental competition in 1993, reached the Last 4 of the Cup Winners Cup, but lost to Africa Sports 4-0 in Abidjan after a 1-1 home draw. SuperSport United beat Club African 4-2 on aggregate in the Last 4 of the Confederation Cup in 2017, but lost to TP Mazembe in the final.
The record of South African clubs in continental semifinals reflects their ability to perform well under pressure. It also shows that they make it count when they reach this stage. Despite the fact that Jomo Cosmos are now playing in the third-tier of South African football, their fans will remember the time when they came close to a continental final. As Mamelodi Sundowns face Wydad once again in the CAF club competition semifinals, they will have a chance to add to their club's proud history in this stage of the tournament.
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