Mamelodi Sundowns Face Major Fixture Shift With Only One Domestic Match Left This Year
Mamelodi Sundowns will play only one more domestic match before the end of the year after a revised fixture schedule confirmed significant changes to their programme. The champions tried to secure additional league games ahead of their CAF Champions League group stage campaign but were unable to find opponents willing to accommodate them.
Sundowns played five league matches in the final two weeks of September and pushed for another fixture on the Sunday of the Carling Knockout semi finals. Head coach Miguel Cardoso said the club approached four teams, but none accepted the request. This left the Brazilians with a lighter domestic schedule heading into a demanding continental run.
Their next assignment is against Saint Eloi Lupopo at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday in the Champions League. After that, they travel to Algeria for a meeting with former coach Rulani Mokwena’s MC Alger on November 28. The league fixtures against Polokwane City on November 23 and Orbit College FC on November 29 have been removed from the calendar and will be played in the New Year.
This shift means Sundowns will play only one local match before domestic football pauses for the AFCON finals in Morocco. Their lone league fixture is against Siwelele FC on December 2. According to the PSL, the last league matches of the year will be played on December 3, with the competition resuming on January 20, 2026.
Sundowns will enter the Christmas break having played 13 league games. The New Year will bring further changes because their matches against Orlando Pirates on January 31 and AmaZulu FC on February 14 clash with Champions League fixtures. Sundowns host Al Hilal between January 23 and 25, then travel for the return leg between January 30 and February 1. They then head to Lubumbashi to face Lupopo between February 6 and 8 and finish the group stage between February 13 and 15 against MC Alger.
Orlando Pirates have also seen adjustments to their schedule despite no longer being in the Champions League. Their league matches against Chippa United on November 25 and Durban City FC four days later remain, but the game against Richards Bay FC on December 2 will be played on a new date. This gives the Buccaneers a full week to prepare for the Carling Knockout final against Marumo Gallants at Peter Mokaba Stadium on December 6. Gallants’ match against TS Galaxy on December 3 has also been postponed.
The updated calendar highlights the intense logistical demands facing South African clubs competing on multiple fronts. Sundowns will now balance a reduced domestic schedule with a congested continental programme that will shape their early 2026 campaign.
