Defending champions AS FAR of Morocco will face South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Women’s Champions League Egypt 2026 final on Sunday, November 15, with both sides aiming to become the first club to win the competition three times.
The final will take place at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, with kick-off scheduled for 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT).
AS FAR booked their place in the final after defeating Cameroon’s Lekié Football Filles 1-0 in the semi-finals, while Sundowns secured their fourth appearance in the title decider with a convincing 4-1 victory over Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies.
The Moroccan champions are seeking to become the first team to successfully defend the trophy, while Sundowns are hoping to reclaim the title they last won in 2023.
Head-to-Head: A Rivalry Defined by History
Sunday’s encounter will be the fourth meeting between the two clubs at the finals, making it the most frequently played fixture in the competition’s history.
It will also be their second meeting in a final, following AS FAR’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Sundowns in Rabat in 2022.
Their first encounter ended in a goalless draw during the 2021 group stage in Cairo, before Sundowns went on to win the inaugural title.
In the 2022 final, Fatima Tagnaout opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 15th minute before Ibtissam Jraïdi scored a second-half hat-trick in the 54th, 87th and 90+2 minutes to seal a 4-0 triumph for AS FAR.
Sundowns had Rhoda Mulaudzi sent off in the 34th minute, while Zanele Nhlapho was dismissed in the 52nd minute. The defeat remains the South African side’s heaviest at the tournament.
Sundowns gained revenge in the 2023 semi-finals, defeating the defending champions 1-0 in Korhogo through Boitumelo Rabale’s 73rd-minute goal.
The two clubs have also recorded contrasting performances against teams from each other’s countries. AS FAR have faced South African opposition four times at the finals, recording two wins, one draw and one defeat. Sundowns, meanwhile, have played Moroccan teams six times, winning four, drawing one and losing once, while keeping five clean sheets.
Sundowns defeated Moroccan debutants FUS Rabat 3-0 in the 2026 group stage.
AS FAR Chasing Third Title and Historic Defence
AS FAR are making their fourth final appearance, having previously lifted the trophy in 2022 and 2025, while finishing runners-up in 2024.
They are also the first club to reach three consecutive finals and have finished among the top three in all six of their appearances at the competition.
The Moroccan side have played 30 matches at the finals, more than any other club, and have reached the last four in every edition they have contested.
Their route to this year’s final has been particularly impressive, considering they began the campaign with a 3-2 defeat to Kawempe Muslim Ladies. They have since won their last three matches without conceding.
AS FAR have recorded three wins and one defeat in the current edition, scoring 11 goals and conceding three.
Victory on Sunday would make them the outright most successful club in the competition’s history with three titles.
Captain Ghizlane Chebbak remains one of their key attacking threats. She scored the decisive goal in the 48th minute of their semi-final victory over Lekié, registering her second goal in successive matches.
Chebbak has scored five goals across the 2021, 2023 and 2026 editions, with four coming in the second half.
Goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi also brings significant experience into the final. She recorded her 18th clean sheet at the tournament against Lekié, including five in knockout matches.
Er-Rmichi has kept three consecutive clean sheets and will be aiming to add another against Sundowns.
AS FAR’s attacking options also include Fatima Zahra Tagnaout, Doha El Madani and Imane Touriss, who have each registered two goals and one assist in the ongoing edition.
Sundowns Target Third Continental Crown
Mamelodi Sundowns will be appearing in their fourth final after winning the competition in 2021 and 2023 and finishing runners-up in 2022.
They have reached the knockout stage in every edition they have entered except 2024 and remain unbeaten in the current campaign, with three wins and one draw from four matches.
The South African champions have scored nine goals and conceded twice in Egypt.
Their first title came in 2021, when they defeated Ghana’s Hasaacas Ladies 2-0 through goals from Chuene Morifi and Andisiwe Mgcoyi.
They lost 4-0 to AS FAR in the 2022 final before returning to the summit in 2023 with a 3-0 victory over SC Casablanca. Refilwe Tholakele scored twice, while Boitumelo Rabale also found the net.
A third title would make Sundowns the first club to achieve the feat, although AS FAR are equally chasing their third continental crown.
Sundowns head into the final after producing their biggest semi-final victory, a 4-1 win over Kawempe Muslim Ladies.
The result also matched their biggest winning margin in the competition’s knockout rounds, equalling their 3-0 victory over SC Casablanca in the 2023 final.
Ronnel Donnelly was the standout performer against Kawempe, scoring a remarkable nine-minute first-half hat-trick in the 29th, 35th and 37th minutes.
She became the first Sundowns player to score a hat-trick at the finals and the first player in the competition’s history to register a hat-trick in the first half of a match.
Donnelly has recorded three goals and one assist in the current edition, giving her the highest goal involvement tally among Sundowns players.
Noxolo Cesane also scored against Kawempe, while Lelona Daweti provided two assists. Asanda Hadebe set up Donnelly’s opening goal, taking her tally to two assists in the tournament.
Goalkeeper Andile Dlamini has made 10 saves from 12 shots on target faced at this edition, giving her a save rate of approximately 83 per cent.
Dlamini, Karabo Dhlamini and Bambanani Mbane have played every minute of Sundowns’ four matches.
A Final With History at Stake
The 2026 showpiece will be the sixth CAF Women’s Champions League final. At least one of AS FAR or Sundowns has featured in every previous edition, with both clubs having made three final appearances before this year’s tournament.
No team has successfully defended the title. Sundowns came closest before AS FAR defeated them in the 2022 final after their inaugural triumph.
All five previous finals were decided within 90 minutes, with the team scoring first eventually winning the trophy. Only the 2025 final, when AS FAR defeated ASEC Mimosas 2-1, has featured goals from both teams.
This season also marks the first time the same two clubs have contested both the men’s and women’s CAF Champions League finals. Sundowns defeated AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate in the 2025/26 men’s competition.
Beyond the trophy, Sunday’s winners will receive USD 600,000 and qualify for the second round of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2027, where they will face DPR Korea’s Naegohyang WFC in December 2026.
With both sides chasing a historic third title, the Ismailia final promises another significant chapter in one of African women’s club football’s biggest rivalries.
Previous Meetings
– 12 November 2021 – Group A, Cairo: Mamelodi Sundowns 0-0 AS FAR.
– 13 November 2022 – Final, Rabat: AS FAR 4-0 Mamelodi Sundowns (Fatima Tagnaout 15 pen, Ibtissam Jraïdi 54, 87, 90+2).
– 15 November 2023 – Semi-final, Korhogo: Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 AS FAR (Boitumelo Rabale 73).
Previous CAF Women’s Champions League Finals
– 2021: Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 Hasaacas Ladies.
– 2022: AS FAR 4-0 Mamelodi Sundowns.
– 2023: Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 SC Casablanca.
– 2024: TP Mazembe 1-0 AS FAR.
– 2025: AS FAR 2-1 ASEC Mimosas.
