CWC: Sundowns out to stun much-fancied Dortmund

Miguel Cardoso, head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup press conference and pitch inspectio for Mamelodi Sundowns at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, USA on 20 June 2025 © Lynne Gleeson/BackpagePix

by Austin Ditlhobolo

Saturday Jun 21, 2025. 13:11

Mamelodi Sundowns will battle it out with Borussia Dortmund in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Group F encounter on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 6:00 pm CAT.

The match is scheduled to be played at the TQL Stadium in the third-most populous city in Ohio and the 66th-most populous in the USA, Cincinnati.

Sundowns got off to a winning start in Group F as they claimed a 1-0 win over South Korea’s Ulsan HD on June 18 and they snapped their two-match winless run across all competitions.

As a result, the South African champions are placed at the top of the group standings and a win over Dortmund could be enough to earn Sundowns a place in the Round of 16.

“We know Dortmund are a big team, but we’re not here by luck. We have earned our place. We might be the underdogs, but we’re not afraid of the challenge,” Divine Lunga, the Sundowns defender, said.

Meanwhile, Dortmund extended their unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions when they drew 0-0 with Brazilian giants Fluminense in their opening Group F match on June 17.

The German giants are placed second in the Group F standings and a victory over Sundowns would boost Dortmund’s ambitions of progressing to the Round of 16.

“We are well prepared for the opponent and had a lot of material that we analyzed. That’s how we do it in the Bundesliga, too. We know a lot about Mamelodi Sundowns and respect them a lot,” Niko Kovac, the Borussia Dortmund head coach, said.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Sundowns and Dortmund across all competitions. Referee Juan Gabriel Benítez of Paraguay will be in charge of Saturday’s clash.