Sundowns lost the Champions League final to Pyramids on Sunday night, after a 2-1 scoreline on the night aggregated to a 3-2 overall defeat. The result means the Brazilians came agonisingly close (one goal to be specific) to a second African title. However, they can take pride in how they went a step further than previous editions. Here are five stats from the 2025 Champions League final..
On the 1 June curse..
3 - This is the 3rd time in PSL history Sundowns have lost a Cup game on the 1st of June, the third date on the calendar where they’ve lost so many Cup games.
Sundowns’ worst days/defeats in Cups:
1 June - 2003 v Coton Sport (CAFCup), 2024 v Pirates (Nedbank), 2025 v Pyramids (CAFCL)
20 April - 2003 v Celtic (ABSA Cup), 2007 v Al Ahly and 2024 v Esperance (CAFCL)
23 September - 2006 v SSU (TOP8), 2007 v Mazembe(CAFCC), 2017 v Wydad (CAFCL)
On Sundowns’ losses
9 - Sundowns lost 9 games this season across all competitions. The last time they lost more games in the same season was 2018/19 (10).
Games lost by Sundowns in the last few seasons (all comps):
2019/20 - 8 losses
2020/21 - 4 losses
2021/22 - 4 losses
2022/23 - 4 losses
2023/24 - 6 losses
2024/25 - 9 losses*
On Sundowns campaign
25% - After the preliminary rounds, Sundowns won just 3 of their 12 games (D7 L2). Only once before have they had a worse win rate in this competition from the Group stages onwards.
Worst CAFCL win rates for Downs (Groups+):
17% - 2017/18 (Won 1 of 6 games)
25% - 2024/25 (Won 3 of 12)*
30% - 2001/2 (Won 3 of 10)
More on Sundowns’ campaign
9 - Downs scored more than one goal just once after the preliminary rounds, their fewest multiple-goal count since 2016/17 (also 1 game). They scored more goals than last season, but many fewer than prior campaigns.
Goals scored by Sundowns from the Group stages onward (last few seasons):
2024/25 - 9*
2023/24 - 7
2022/23 - 22
2021/22 - 12
On Egyptian rule
19 - Pyramids’ title is the 19th African Cup/CAF Champions League win for an Egyptian team, making them the nation with the most winners on the continent.
Most African Cup/CAF Champions League by nations:
19 - Egypt*
7 - Morocco
6 - Tunisia
5 - Algeria, Cameroon
2 for South Africa (Pirates in 1995, Sundowns in 2016)
