Mamelodi Sundowns won the African Champions League final after scoring a vital away goal in the second leg against Royal Armed Forces at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat [1, 2]. The Moroccan military side was supported by a crowd of 60,000 spectators attending the decisive match [1, 2].
Sundowns entered the second leg with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg played on May 22, 2026 [1, 2]. Early in the second leg, Royal Armed Forces earned a penalty in the 40th minute, converted by Mohamed Hrimat to level the aggregate score [1, 2]. Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena responded with a late first-half goal that secured the crucial away goal giving his team the edge under the away goals rule [1, 2].
After conceding the first penalty, Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso expressed confidence in his team’s attacking strength, saying, "After the first penalty, I still felt that at any moment we could score, because it's very rare that we don’t score in a game" [1]. Cardoso noted the equalizer deflated the stadium’s energy: "Once we got our goal we could feel it sucked a little bit of the energy out of the stadium" [1].
Royal Armed Forces were then under pressure to score two clear goals to capture the title due to the away goals rule [1, 2]. They were awarded a second penalty in the 77th minute, but Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams made a crucial save to preserve their advantage [1, 2]. Cardoso reflected on the tense final minutes, saying, "Of course, had they scored that it would be 15 minutes of suffering, for sure, because they would have come at us with everything" [1].
Cardoso, who had lost two previous Africa Champions League finals with Esperance in 2024 and Sundowns in 2025, said, "You need a little bit of luck at the right moments, but overall we deserved to win" [1].
The final sealed Sundowns’ triumph in the continental tournament and delivered a major victory for the South African club. The team will now prepare for next season's competitions following their victory in May 2026. [1, 2]