Sundowns defeat Wydad to win inaugural African Football League

South African club Mamelodi Sundowns won the inaugural African Football League (AFL), beating Wydad Casablanca 2-0 in the second leg of the final in Pretoria on Sunday.

Sundowns, who had lost 2-1 a week earlier in Morocco, overcame their deficit thanks to goals from Peter Shalulile (45th+3rd) and Aubrey Modiba (53rd).

The team from Pretoria, who had already won the CAF Supercup six years ago, thus claimed the first trophy in the richly endowed competition launched this autumn, with the winner set to cash a cheque for four million dollars (3.7 million euros).

For this first edition, eight of the continent's most prestigious clubs competed in round-robin knockout matches, from the quarter-finals to the final and the Sundowns title. The African Confederation plans to extend the competition to 24 clubs for the 2024-2025 season.