Williams: We want to show the world who Sundowns are

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday Jun 11, 2025. 15:00

Ronwen Williams is confident that Mamelodi Sundowns can progress beyond the group stages at the 2025 Club World Cup as they look to bounce back from their CAF Champions League disappointment.

Bafana ba Style were denied Africa’s biggest club prize after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Pyramids in the Champions League final and they will now turn their attention to the expanded intercontinental tournament in the United States.

Miguel Cardoso’s side were drawn in Group F alongside Brazil’s Fluminense, Germany’s Borussia Dortmund and South Korea’s Ulsan HD, with their first match taking place against the Tigers in Orlando on June 17.

Williams is determined to show the world what Masandawana are capable of and believes they can qualify for the knockout stages as long as the players don’t dwell on the recent setback against Pyramids.

“We believe we have enough to get out of the group, which will be huge for the club,” the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper said.

“When you look at the group, there are big names out there and it is going to be tough – but we believe we can get out of it. We want to show people who Sundowns are at the competition.

“We have used the recent few days of rest to reflect on the Champions League loss through our chats. Most important was to stay away from each other, because we played many games and travelled a lot this season.

“The past five days away from each other helped us to re-energise and get the spark back. It was devastating to take that defeat, but we have to go again.

“As Mamelodi Sundowns there is always another opportunity and it does not get any bigger than this. We can’t be mourning for too long; we have to be up for it because this is probably the biggest club competition.

“It would have been perfect to wrap up the Champions League and go to the Club World Cup as continental champions. We could have gone with confidence – but now we have to dig deep.

“It was probably the hardest defeat of my career and for the team, because of how much we sacrificed and how hard we worked to get there. We said we would go all the way and do it, but now we have to go back [to the drawing board] again.”