With Al Ahly hobbling, Mamelodi Sundowns have missed the chance to make inroads for the number one spot in Africa, as the club rankings have been updated.
Sundowns were one of the four representatives from Africa at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and would know the importance of rankings, as they qualified through that path.
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The Brazilians went into the global tournament rated number two on the continent behind The Red Devils and after a promising campaign, they had a chance to make a claim for that number one spot in Africa.
Especially after the Egyptian giants were woeful under former coach Jose Riveiro, exiting the tournament without a win, with two points at the bottom of Group A.
Masandawana narrowly missed out on reaching the group stages, as they finished third in Group F with four points, one point behind second-placed Fluminense.
With rankings website FootballDatabase.com updating their data weekly, Sundowns' slow start has also not taken advantage of the Egyptian giants also having a bad start, as Masandawana have remained second on the continent with 1648 points, 36 points behind Al Ahly, who have retained their number one spot.
The Club of the Century's poor start in the Egyptian Premier League has led to them parting ways with Riveiro, after defeat to Pyramids left them lying 13th after four matches.
On a year average, Al Ahly have dropped 23 points but have held on to their top position, as The Tshwane giants have also gained only 17 points on a year average, with their slow start not giving them enough points, although they are yet to lose in the Betway Premiership, lying third with 11 points.
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Sundowns, on the other hand, should be wary of Pyramids, who are just 12 points behind them in third position in the rankings.
The official CAF club rankings last month also placed The Red Devils and Masandawana as the top two clubs on the continent but rated reigning champions Pyramids at number 6.
*CAF makes1 updates on club rankings monthly while FootballDatabase updates weekly, their cycles under consideration are also not similar.
