Egyptian side, Pyramids FC, are African champions for the first time following a 2-1 win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2025 CAF Champions League final second leg in Cairo on Sunday, completing a 3-2 aggregate victory to claim the title over their South African rivals.
Having drawn the first leg 1-1 in Pretoria a week ago, tournament top scorer Fiston Mayele pounced onto a poor clearance by the Brazilians and hit a first-time volley that slipped into the bottom corner to put Pyramids ahead after 23 minutes.
The Egyptians doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second half through Ahmed Samy’s diving header off Mohamed Chibi’s free-kick, with the teams made to wait for a lengthy period due to VAR reviewing the goal before it was finally given.
Iqraam Rayners gave the 2016 African champions a glimmer of hope with his 75th minute goal to set up a tense finale to the game, which had 10 minutes of stoppage time as Pyramids held on to ignite celebration at their historic feat.
Pyramids’ title win wipes away the pain of missing out on the Egyptian Premier League title by one point to Al Ahly, with a possible double awaiting the Cairo-based club as they take on Zamalek in the Egyptian Cup final on June 5.
Meanwhile, next up for Sundowns is the FIFA Club World Cup kicking off in a fortnight in the United States, with the Brazilians set to take on Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense from Brazil’s Serie A, and South Korea’s Ulsan in the competition’s group stage.