Four South African clubs have again entered the African Champions League and African Confederation Cup this season, one of them as the reigning champions of the continent.
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Champions Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates will compete in Africa’s elite club competition, with the latter starting this weekend with an away trip to Mauritius to face little-known La Cure Waves. Sundowns have a bye through the first stage.
Durban City make their bow in the Confederation Cup with a home clash against Burundi’s Rukinzo in Durban on Sunday, while Kaizer Chiefs also have a bye.
The games will add to South Africa’s tally of 775 fixtures in African club competition since the first in 1993.
A total of 407 of those (53 per cent) have come in the Champions League and Pirates should, over the two legs of their tie, earn South Africa’s 200th win in the competition. They currently stand on 198 wins, with 111 draws and 98 losses.
South African clubs have played 273 games in the Confederation Cup, winning 115 of those to go with 68 draws and 90 defeats.
No club from the PSL has lifted this trophy before, despite two final appearances for Pirates and one for SuperSport United, all of which ended in defeat.
South African teams have also played 61 games in the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup (W35 D14 L12) and 25 in the CAF Cup (W10 D6 L9).
Sundowns are the only ever champions of the African Football League, which has had a single season to date, in 2023. They won three, drew two and lost one of their six matches.
South African teams have also appeared in three CAF Super Cups, with wins apiece for Sundowns and Pirates and a defeat for Kaizer Chiefs. Sundowns will have another go when they host Confederation Cup holders USM Alger at Loftus Versfeld on November 8.
That brings the total number of games to 775, of which PSL teams have won 363 (47 per cent), drawn 201 (26 per cent) and lost 211 (27 per cent). In that time they have scored 1 160 goals and conceded 729.
Sundowns have played by far the most matches, with 218, or more than a quarter of South Africa’s total. Pirates are next on the list with 155.