Mamelodi Sundowns take on Orlando Pirates in next week’s MTN8 final in Durban, looking to win a trophy that has largely eluded them despite their dominance of South African football over the last decade.
Sundowns have won the MTN8 once in the last 18 years but now have a chance to end Pirates’ recent supremacy in the top eight competition.
Next week’s clash at Moses Mabhida Stadium will be the 38th time that Sundowns play in a cup final since their first 40 years ago.
They have won 19 of their past finals while losing 18.
Here is a list of all Sundowns’ past cup finals:
1986 Bob Save Super Bowl: Driving rain caused the ref to abandon the original match but the two teams returned to Ellis Park where a late own goal from Jomo Cosmos’ Greg Cupido handed Sundowns their first-ever silverware.
1988 BP Top Eight Cup: There were three matches before the winner was decided in a derby with Arcadia. The two legs ended in a 2-2 aggregate tie and a replay was held at the Rand Stadium, where Lovemore Chafunya scored the only goal.
1988 Ohlsson’s Challenge: Sundowns and Arcadia met again in a second successive final and Bennett Masinga’s 21st-minute goal at Ellis Park handed the Brazilians a 1-0 win.
1989 Bob Save Super Bowl: Sundowns were the glamour team of the time, but Moroka Swallows’ new owner, the rugby tycoon Louis Luyt, had actually spent more money on players, and the likes of Calvin Petersen and Owen da Gama ran riot in the replay as Sundowns lost 5-1.
1990 BP Top Eight Cup: A one-sided 5-0 aggregate triumph for Sundowns over Wits over two legs.
1990 JPS Knockout Cup: Sundowns won the two-legged final by beating Orlando Pirates 1-0 in the first leg and drawing the return 1-1.
1992 BP Top Eight Cup: Kaizer Chiefs began their long-standing dominance over Sundowns in cup finals with a 1-0 win.
1992 Castle Challenge: Augusto Palacios was coach of Sundowns as they went down 2-1 to Pirates in the final at Soccer City.
1994 BP Top Eight Cup: Chiefs scored an extra-time goal through Zimbabwe import Mike Maringa to beat Sundowns 3-2. The star of the game was the 20-year-old Chiefs goalkeeper Brain Baloyi, later to play for Sundowns.
1997 Rothmans Cup: Lost 3-2 on penalties to Chiefs after two matches at Soccer City. The first ended 1-1 and the replay four days later finished with the same score, thanks to Raphael Chukwu’s 89th-minute equaliser.
1998 BoB Save Super Bowl: Again it took two games to settle the outcome, but this time there was penalty shootout success for Sundowns over Pirates. The World Cup in France delayed the replay by two months. It ended 1-1 after both sides converted extra time penalties.
1998 Rothmans Cup: Thabo Mooki scored in the first minute for Chiefs, but the game ended 2-2 after extra time with Joel Masilela and Alex Bapela netting for Sundowns. Chiefs won 2-1 in a dreadful penalty shootout.
1999 Rothmans Cup: Sundowns’ third successive final with Paul Dolezar at the helm after he jumped ship from Chiefs and finally succeeded as Free State Stars were beaten 2-0 with goals from Alain Amougou and Daniel Mudau.
2000 BoB Save Super Bowl: A penalty from Siyabonga Nomvete on the stroke of half-time sees Chiefs shade Sundowns 1-0 at Soccer City.
2001 BoB Save Super Bowl: At Soccer City in Johannesburg, Tyren Arendse scored the only goal for Clive Barker’s Santos against his prodigy Neil Tovey, in charge of Sundowns.
2001 BP Top Eight Cup: Chiefs again eclipsed Sundowns on penalties, this time 7-6 after a 2-2 draw in the final where AmaKhosi were saved by a last-gasp equaliser from Cyril Nzama in the 90th minute.
2001 African Champions League: Never has a side so dominated a match and yet finished so badly beaten. Sundowns were held to a home draw in the first leg but carved up Egyptian giants Al Ahly in Cairo in the return, only to lose 3-0.
2002 BP Top Eight Cup: Santos beat Sundowns 2-0 in the final at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, going two-up in the first 30 minutes and then making sure they stayed there.
2007 ABSA Cup: Sundowns lost 2-0 to Ajax in Durban with Bryce Moon and Franklin Cale getting the goals for Ajax. It was a sixth successive final loss for the Brazilians.
2007 SAA Supa Eight Cup: Brent Carelse’s early strike gives Sundowns a 1-0 win over Pirates in Durban.
2007 Telkom Knockout: A goalless draw against Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld and the inevitable penalty shootout loss as Patrick Apataki’s last kick is saved by Itumeleng Khune in goal for Chiefs.
2008 Nedbank Cup: A late goal from Lerato Chabangu secures the cup for Sundowns against second division opposition in the form of a resolute Mpumalanga Black Aces at the Johannesburg Stadium.
2008 MTN8: A fifth cup final in a row, but it was a disappointing goalless draw versus Chiefs in Durban. Esrom Nyandoro misses a penalty for a second time in a final shootout as Chiefs win the shootout 4-3.
2012 Nedbank Cup: Sundowns lose 2-0 to neighbours SuperSport in a final controversially played at the Orlando Stadium.
2012 Telkom Knockout: Sundowns lose a third successive final as Botswana international Joel Mogorosi netted for Bloemfontein Celtic to post an upset 1-0 result at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
2015 Nedbank Cup: The final ended goalless after extra time, and the shootout that followed saw Ajax’s Abubakar Mobara needing to convert their final kick to win the trophy. But he skyed his shot, and Sundowns came back to take it 4-3 on penalties.
2015 Telkom Knockout: Leonard Castro scored first, and there were more goals from Thabo Nthethe and Hlompho Kekana as Sundowns went three-up against Chiefs, who got a late consolation.
2016 MTN8: Daine Klate was the hero for Bidvest Wits as they scored in the opening minute and went on to sweep past Sundowns in a 3-0 triumph at Nelspruit’s Mbombela Stadium.
2016 African Champions League: The first leg of the final against Zamalek was a convincing 3-0 win at Atteridgeville with Antony Laffor the star performer, leaving the Egyptians with an uphill task in the return, which they could only win 1-0 in Alexandria.
2017 African Super Cup: The one-off game against TP Mazembe, who had beaten SuperSport United in the African Confederation Cup the previous year, was played at Atteridgeville and saw Sundowns win with a late penalty from Ricardo Nascimento.
2019 Telkom Knockout: Uruguayan striker Mauricio Affonso scored both goals in the 2-1 come-from-behind win over Maritzburg United at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
2020 Nedbank Cup: There were no fans as Sundowns and Celtic brought to an end a season extended by the COVID crisis and played in a bio-bubble, with the final at the Orlando Stadium, where Gaston Sirino scored the winner 10 minutes from time.
2021 MTN8: Thapelo Morena scored first for ‘Downs but Fagrie Lakay for Cape Town City equalised to take the game to extra time, followed by a poorly executed penalty shootout where 14 kicks were needed before Sundowns won 3-2.
2022 Nedbank Cup: The league and cup double was completed with a 2-1 win over holders Marumo Gallants 2-1 after extra time in Bloemfontein as Morena scored a 120th-minute winner.
2023 African Football League: The Confederation of African Football’s attempt at a continental super league lasted one edition, but it saw Sundowns dominate and win the two-legged final 3-2 on aggregate against Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca.
2025 African Champions League: Sundowns were heavy favourites against rookies Pyramids of Egypt but gave away a last-gasp equaliser in the first leg and were held 1-1 and then beaten 2-1 in the return in Cairo.
2026 African Champions League: Finally, a second star for the Brazilians after reaching the group phase in 11 successive competitions. Aubrey Modiba scored the only goal of the first leg, and Teboho Mokoena’s stinger was decisive in the return against Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces.