"We fear no one"... Sundowns coordinator Khaled Ali throws down the gauntlet to CAF CL giants! | OneFootball

Khaled Ali: ‘Whoever wants to win the title must be ready for every match’

Khaled Ali - Sundowns / @x.com/iDiskiTimes

The group stage draw for the CAF Champions League, held last Monday in Johannesburg, South Africa, placed Sundowns in a tough group featuring Al Hilal (Sudan), MC Alger (Algeria) and Saint-Éloi Lupopo (DR Congo).

In an exclusive interview with the “Al Ahly” channel, Khaled Ali, general coordinator of South Africa’s Sundowns, broke down the draw for the 2025/2026 season.

He stated: “This season’s CAF Champions League will be extremely challenging. Seven out of the sixteen teams in the group stage are former champions, and we also see Renaissance de Berkane, last season’s Confederation Cup winners.”

He added: “There are two groups you could call ‘groups of death’: Al Ahly’s and Sundowns’, which on paper look like the strongest.”

Khaled Ali: ‘Whoever wants to win the title must be ready for every match’

He continued: “In the Pyramids group, you have the defending champions with Renaissance de Berkane, while the third group features Espérance Sportive de Tunis, a historic club with a rich African legacy. All the groups will be fiercely competitive this season.”

Regarding Al Ahly’s group, he specified: “In my opinion, it’s the toughest, as every match is intense and draws huge crowds. As for our clash with MC Alger, the draw promises an electric atmosphere.”

He concluded: “We, the Sundowns, reached the final last season. We respect all our opponents, but we fear no one. Whoever wants to win the Champions League must be ready for every single match.”

Finally, he highlighted the importance of organisation: “CAF has set November 5 as the deadline for all teams to submit their schedules and home stadiums.”