The Mamelodi Sundowns, nicknamed “Les Brazilians”, will play their place in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup this Wednesday against Fluminense.
Faced with Fluminense, on the last day of group F-Cup group F, the South Africans intend to defend their offensive and spectacular style. After a victory against Ulsan and a spectacular defeat against Dortmund, they remain in the race for a qualification in the round of 16. The opportunity to look more closely at the history of “Brazilians”.
The club was officially Founded in 1970 In the Pretoria capital and its outfit, made up of a yellow jersey with green details and blue shorts, is inspired by the emblematic Brazilian outfit.
The resemblance can really bring spectators to think, at first glance, that it is Carlo Ancelotti's team on the field. But the similarities do not stop there. “” The nickname goes far beyond shared colors, because the Masandawana play in a style inspired by their South American brothers », Underlines the club on its official website.
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A huge test awaits in our final #Fifacwc group stage clash. 🙌
Drop your score predictions in the comments below.👇@Fifacwc | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | | #Fifacwc |… pic.twitter.com/4NaSWZDwHc
– Madeli Sunowns FC (@Mandawana) June 24, 2025
The inspiration of the Sundowns by the Seleção goes beyond the field
Sundowns dominate South African football, with eight consecutive titles in the country and some of the larger stars on the continentlike the South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, appointed for the Yachine Trophy in 2024. The workforce also has two Brazilians: Lucas Ribeiro and Arthur Sales.
Arthur granted an interview to the chronicler of TrivelaAndrey Raychtock, and spoke of the importance of the nickname “Les Brazilians” for the club.
« We want to play like the Seleção. We like to be nicknamed 'Les Brazilians'. I think that in everything we do, we try to get closer to the Brazilian style He says.
The 22-year-old striker claims that admiration goes far beyond the field and is not limited to the fact that Brazil is historically associated with spectacular, creative and exciting football. This esteem pushes the player to think about the lesson that his teammates teach to the Brazilians themselves:
« I think that even we, the Brazilians, we will not admire Brazilian football as much as them. When we see them, we say to ourselves: 'We too should be also passionate about our football.' »
Back to back goals and history made! 👏#Sundowns #Fifacwc #The cooktheworld #AfricaToTheWorld https://t.co/jOCbInl3nP
– Madeli Sunowns FC (@Mandawana) June 23, 2025
The group trained by Miguel Cardoso relies on the taste for controlling the game and possession. Of the last ten games, the lowest percentage of the ball recorded by the Sundowns was against FC Pyramids during the first leg of the African Champions League (59 %). That is to say! The maximum reached over the period was 81 %, during the meeting against Mesi in the South African championship.
« They think that the Brazilian selection is like that, dominant. We want to have the ball, no matter how. The coach changes, but philosophy remains the same. People here understood. By dint of playing in the same way, they respect us. They don't come and press us “Explains Arthur.
South African journalist Clyde Tlou adds that the club's workforce is solid, with a high technical quality and tactical flexibility which complicates the life of adversaries and creates danger during offensive transitions. It is no coincidence that another nickname of the Mamelodi Sundowns is “Bafana Ba style” (boys with style, in Portuguese), in reference to this style of play.
The team is a mixture of experienced stars – Like Themba Zwane and Tebogo Mokoena and goalkeeper Williams – and young promiseslike striker Thapelo Maseko and the Malibongwe defender Khoza. Thus, she imposes herself as a serious candidate for qualification for the phase with direct elimination in group F.
This article is an adaptation of an article published by our partner Trivela.
