With Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad Casablanca now poised for the first-ever African Football League final, here's everything you need to know about the competition's deciding tie!
Dates
The AFL final is set to be played over two legs, with the first taking place in Morocco and the return fixture set to be held in South Africa, with both the venues and the kick-off times yet to be announced.
First Leg: Wydad Casablanca vs Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday, 5 November
Second Leg: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Wydad Casablanca on Saturday, 11 November
Read: Al Ahly boss slammed for starting Tau In Downs AFL defeat
The Road to the Final
Sundowns will do battle for the AFL crown after the Rulani Mokwena's side claimed a 1-0 aggregate win over Al Ahly, who were considered by many to be frontrunners for the title. It was a hard-fought journey to the final for Masandawana as they failed to score in two of their four games heading into it, while they also received two red cards in the process – Junior Mendieta was sent off against Ahly in the second leg of their semi-final tie, while Mothobi Mvala was given his marching orders in the return fixture of their quarter-final with Petro de Luanda of Angola.
Wydad, meanwhile, were slightly more convincing on their road to the final from an offensive perspective, scoring more times (five goals) in the competition than any other team as they won all four of their matches.
One notable caveat, however, is that Sundowns' defence has been rock-solid as they are unbeaten and yet to concede in the tournament
AFL Prizes
Both finalists are set for a handsome payout, with the two sides guaranteed at least $3 000 000 (R55.6 million) for making it this far, while the winner across the two-legged final will walk away with a whopping $4 000 000 (R74 million). To put this in context, Downs claimed R15 million for winning the 2022/23 DStv Premiership title. In addition to this, the South Arican top flight also offers R1.5 million each for the winners of each the four quarters (Q-Innovation), with a total of R6 million on offer should a club win all of them. Therefore, Downs are already set to make more money from the AFL this campaign than they did in their domestic league last season.
The teams who have already been eliminated won't feel too hard done by from a financial point of view. Losing quarter-finalists Enyimba FC, Simba SC, TP Mazembe and Petro will claim a windfall of $1 000 000 (R18.5 million) each. Meanwhile, losing semi-finalists Esperance and Ahly will each pocket $1 700 000 (R31.5 million) after bowing out of the tournament on Wednesday night.
Head-to-Head
Wydad and Sundowns have previously met on 12 occasions, with the Moroccan team winning four of those matches and the South African giants being victorious on three occasions, with the other five games ending in stalemates, according to FCTables.com.
Standout stars
In the Ka Bo Yellow corner, 20-year-old star Thapelo Maseko is the player with the most goals (two strikes) left in the AFL after netting against Petro and Ahly on Downs' road to the final. The winger only arrived at the club at the beginning of this season from SuperSport United but has already impressed at Chloorkop. His long-range stunner against the Red Devils will certainly be a contender for the goal of the tournament, although it's unclear if there will be an individual prize for that. Captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who has been nominated for the 2023 CAF Goalkeeper of the Year award, has kept four cleans at the showpiece and also saved a penalty against Ahly.
Wydad's standout star has been none other than their skipper Yahya Jabrane, who has registered one goal and an assist to complement his solid displays in the heart of their midfield. His teammate Hicham Boussefiane has also found the back of the net once and produced an assist too, marking him as someone Sundowns must be wary of.
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