CAF Champions League: Mamelodi Sundowns and Rivers United face tough opening round fixtures on Matchday 1
Masandawana to kick off campaign against newcomers Saint-Eloi Lupopo
Mamelodi Sundowns will get their 2025-26 CAF Champions League campaign started with an intriguing clash against tournament newcomers Saint-Eloi Lupopo at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.
Masandawana were beaten finalists in this competition last season and are the favourites to emerge as winners of Group C, which also features Al-Hilal and MC Alger, who faced off in this season’s opener on Friday night.
There is also a lot of expectation on Miguel Cardoso, who will be taking charge of his first full Champions League season with the Brazilians, and the Portuguese tactician revealed in an interview with the media that he is up for the challenge and fully focused on winning games. He said:
"I think that we need to have a clear focus on winning competitions. The Champions League is a trophy that the club seeks for 10 years. Unfortunately, last year we were unable to bring this trophy to South Africa general but mostly to our fans and our club.”
While Saint-Eloi Lupopo are the underdogs in this clash, they can certainly not be overlooked, having eliminated Orlando Pirates to qualify for this competition. Check out our Mamelodi Sundowns vs Saint-Eloi Lupopo prediction for all the key insights ahead of kickoff.
In terms of personnel for the Brazilians, Temba Zwane is still on the road to recovery and is unlikely to return in the foreseeable future, while both Malibongwe Khoza and Iqraam Rayners are listed as doubts owing to a lack of fitness.
Rivers United travel to Cairo to face continental kings
Of the first-round matches in the 2025-26 CAF Champions League, Rivers United arguably face the toughest test, having to travel to Cairo to take on the defending champions Pyramids FC in the final curtain on Saturday night.
As our experts have pointed out in their in-depth Pyramids FC vs Rivers United prediction, the Pride of Rivers are carrying the weight of the nation in this competition, as they are the first Nigerian team to qualify for the CAFCL since Lobi Stars in 2018-19.
Finidi George’s side head to Cairo following an important 2-1 victory over Warri Wolves in the NPFL in their last match, and the head coach is demanding more firepower from his side when they step out to take on the reigning African champs. Following the victory over Wolves, George said:
“I’m quite happy that we have scored two; maybe by the next game, we can score three. Let’s take it one game at a time. We just have to enjoy this now and focus on the Pyramid.”
However, the NPFL giants will know that getting a result in Egypt will not be an easy task given their opponents’ home record. Pyramids are currently riding an eight-match win streak across all competitions at 30 June Stadium, and have kept clean sheets in seven matches during this period.
