Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says his side must use their early Caf Champions League exit as motivation to reclaim the Betway Premiership title and challenge for the other trophies still available in 2026-27.
The defending champions were eliminated by Wiliete SC after a 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld on Friday. The Angolan club advanced on away goals after the first leg ended 0-0, ending Sundowns’ run of reaching the group stage in the previous 11 seasons.
Tashreeq Matthews put Sundowns ahead after 11 minutes, but they failed to convert further chances. Mabululu equalised in the 49th minute for Wiliete, whose dangerous attack secured a notable result despite having considerably fewer financial and competitive resources than the South African club.
“We controlled completely, we just failed in scoring the goals we had to score,” Cardoso said.
The Portuguese coach, who replaced Manqoba Mngqithi in December 2024, guided Sundowns to successive Champions League finals and the club’s second African title last season, their first since 2016. Those achievements came alongside the disappointment of losing an eight-season run as Betway Premiership champions to Orlando Pirates in 2025-26.
Cardoso, 54, said his record contained more successes than setbacks and insisted there was still much to play for. Sundowns face a Carling Knockout Cup qualifying match against Marumo Gallants on Tuesday, an important Premiership fixture and the Caf Super Cup final against USM Alger at Loftus Versfeld on November 8. They also have the Nedbank Cup ahead.
“It means we have to focus even more on the competitions we have to play,” he said. “There are a lot of trophies to play for.”
Cardoso acknowledged that leaving the Champions League was “hard for the club, hard for the coaches” and personally difficult after reaching the final three years in a row. Sundowns had been expected to reach the group stage for a 12th consecutive season.
“Tonight is a dark night, obviously, but it’s a dark night that has to give us the energy and that purpose to move forward and build more,” he said. “We are not what happens to us, we are much more what we do with what happens to us.”
Sundowns have been affected by injuries since beating AS FAR of Morocco in the 2025-26 Champions League final in May. Their demanding 2026-27 schedule includes seven competitions, while eight core players had no off-season after representing Bafana Bafana at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
The club were also struck by the tragic death of Jayden Adams. Khuliso Mudau, Grant Kekana, Keanu Cupido, Aubrey Modiba and Ronwen Williams have all featured on the injury list, while Teboho Mokoena missed the second leg after going off in Angola. Williams and Modiba returned on Friday.
Cardoso accepted the absences had weakened Sundowns but rejected them as an excuse. He said the available players had created enough opportunities to win and that the team had effectively drawn both matches.
“We only have ourselves to blame because of the goals we did not score,” he said. “There’s no excuses we all should have done better.”
Sundowns have already ended a domestic cup drought dating back to 2022, beating Pirates 2-0 in last month’s MTN8 final, and defeated Al-Ahli Saudi 1-0 in September in the African-Asian-Pacific Cup, part of Fifa’s ongoing Intercontinental Cup.
“It’s a big blow, it’s a big punch in our faces,” Cardoso said. “But what will make us stronger is how we are going to react, because there’s so many more things to win.”
