Mamelodi Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba says the club are determined to win the MTN8, reclaim the Premiership title and retain the Champions League this season.
The Brazilians begin their domestic cup campaign against Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-finals at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday at 18:00, with Modiba stressing the importance of ending Sundowns’ wait for a domestic cup trophy.
Sundowns have not won a domestic cup competition since 2022, despite their sustained dominance in the league and success on the continental stage.
“We haven’t won a local cup competition in about four years and we want to go back to winning local tournaments,” the Bafana Bafana left-back said.
Modiba believes success in the Champions League would not fully satisfy Sundowns’ supporters if the club were to make an early exit from the MTN8.
“You win the [2025-26] Champions League and crash out in the MTN8, it won’t look great to our supporters and everyone associated with the team. We need to keep the momentum going in this tournament because it has been a long time since we won a domestic trophy.”
The club are also focused on regaining the league crown from Orlando Pirates, who ended Sundowns’ unprecedented eight-season run of successive Premiership titles last campaign.
Sundowns’ previous title-winning sequence had established them as the dominant force in South African football, but Modiba said the disappointment of losing the league had strengthened their resolve to reclaim it.
“We want to win the league again because the feeling of losing it was not nice. Some of us never experienced it, so we want to go back to that feeling of winning the league every season. It is important to win the league because if you do you go back to the Champions League. We always want to do well in the Champions League and get our gold badge back.
“Congratulations to Pirates. They deserve it. It is a marathon we know how to run very well and let the game begin.”
Sundowns will also attempt to keep their continental crown after coach Miguel Cardoso guided them to a second Champions League title. They beat FAR Rabat of Morocco 2-1 on aggregate in the final.
Modiba said the squad had already discussed the possibility of adding another Champions League triumph to the club’s history.
“Winning the Champions League is one of the first things we talk about. This star on our emblem is going to be here forever and our names are going to be mentioned as part of that history.
“We play for making history and we want to leave the jersey in a better place than we found it. We want to add more stars to the jersey because we try to win everything. We are grateful for the second star on the jersey and hopefully we can add the third one.”
The new season has begun under the shadow of the death of midfielder Jayden Adams, who died in the off-season in Cape Town in an apparent suicide after returning from representing Bafana at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Modiba acknowledged the emotional effect of the tragedy on Sundowns and the wider country, but said the team had to continue while honouring Adams’ memory.
“We are trying but it has not been easy for us. It is a difficult moment for the team and the country. You can see how the whole world celebrated his life. You could see the impact he left and for us it is to continue celebrating his life. This came as a shock to everyone and we didn’t know how to deal with it at first.
“We don’t have a choice but to learn to live with the fact that he is no longer with us in the change room. We think about him all the time because of the impact he made in the team and everyone’s lives. He was quiet [as a person] but you could feel his presence. He must continue to rest in peace.”
With the MTN8 providing Sundowns’ first opportunity to challenge for silverware this season, Modiba says the players want to build on their continental success rather than allow their standards to drop.
