Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Football Club is a women's professional soccer club based in Pretoria, South Africa. The team competes in the SAFA Women's League, the top tier women's football league in South Africa.
They are the most successful women's team in South Africa with eight titles and won the inaugural CAF Women's Champions League in 2021.
History The club was founded on 4 September 2009 by owner Patrice Motsepe as part of Sundowns' expansion into women's football and they participated in the inaugural SAFA Provincial Women's League.
Early National Success and Jerry Tshabalala era (2013–2024) Jerry Tshabalala became head coach in 2012, beginning the era that shaped the club’s identity and dominance. They announced themselves as a rising force in South African women’s football during the 2013 Sasol League National Championship, where they captured their maiden national title by defeating Limpopo’s Ma‑Indies Ladies 2–0 in the final held in Klerksdorp, marking the club’s first major national triumph.
Sundowns set the Sasol League National Championship goal‑scoring record in 2015 with a staggering 25–0 victory over Galeshewe Ladies in Sasolburg, a scoreline that still stands unmatched. They carried that momentum through the tournament and secured their second national championship, beating Cape Town Roses 5–0 in the final.
Transition to the SAFA National Women’s League (2019–2020) With the launch of the SAFA National Women’s League (SNWL) in 2019, Sundowns Ladies entered the country’s first professional women’s league. They won the inaugural SNWL title, finishing the season unbeaten with 21 wins and 1 draw.
Domestic Dominance (2021–2024) Sundowns Ladies maintained consistent superiority in the SNWL, winning multiple consecutive league titles. In 2021, they secured another championship and qualified for regional competition. In 2022, they set a league record by scoring 126 goals, becoming the first team to surpass 100 goals in a single season. They continued their dominance through 2023 and 2024, regularly finishing with high goal tallies and maintaining one of the best defensive records in the league.
The team has been one of the most dominant teams in the COSAFA Women’s Champions League, consistently reaching the latter stages and twice winning the regional title. They won the inaugural 2021 COSAFA qualifiers, producing emphatic scorelines throughout the group stage before defeating Green Buffaloes in the semi‑final and Black Rhino Queens in the final to secure qualification for the first CAF Women’s Champions League. In 2022, they again topped their group but lost to Green Buffaloes on penalties in the final, though they still qualified automatically as defending African champions. Sundowns reclaimed the regional crown in 2023, sweeping through the group stage with three clean‑sheet victories and setting a record scoreline with an 8–0 victory over Olympic de Moroni. They also defeated Green Buffaloes and Double Action Ladies in the knockout rounds to earn another CAF Champions League berth.
On 13 August 2023, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies defeated the University of Johannesburg 1–0 in the final of the inaugural Joburg Basadi Football Challenge.
Continental Competition and CAF Champions League Success (2021–2023) Sundowns Ladies represented the COSAFA region in the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021. They won the tournament, defeating Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana 2–0 in the final and completing the competition undefeated without conceding a goal. In 2022, they reached the final again but finished as runners‑up to AS FAR of Morocco. They reclaimed the continental title in 2023, defeating Sporting Casablanca 3–0 in the final and once again completing the tournament without conceding.
Their continental achievements earned them recognition as CAF Women’s Club of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
On 10 May 2024, it was announced that Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies had been invited to participate in the 2024 edition of The Women’s Cup, scheduled for August. On 15 August 2024, they played their opening match against Kansas City Current of the United States, losing 3–0. They were defeated 2–0 by Japan’s INAC Kobe in their second match of the tournament.
At the end of the 2022 season, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies were ranked as the best women’s club in Africa by the IFFHS, earning 174 points. In 2023, the club retained its position as Africa’s top‑ranked women’s team for a second consecutive year, accumulating 238 points and finishing tied for 19th in the IFFHS Women’s Club World Ranking.
Godfrey Sapula era (2025–Present) In 2025 they appointed Godfrey Sapula as head coach. Their 2025 COSAFA Women's Champions League campaign began strongly with three group‑stage wins, but they were eliminated in the semi‑finals by ZESCO Ndola Girls. Across all editions, Sundowns Ladies established themselves as the benchmark club in the COSAFA region, combining high‑scoring performances with consistent progression to continental competition. They won their sixth consecutive league title on 20 November 2025 with two games to spare under new coach Sapula and won their third regional title in 2026 to qualify for the 2026 CAF Women's Champions League.
Media Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies have been featured across several club‑produced and broadcast media platforms. In September 2021, the club launched the first edition of its quarterly Mamelodi Sundowns Magazine. The December 2021 issue, titled Banyana ba Style: Queens of the Continent, highlighted the team’s maiden CAF Women’s Champions League triumph and featured captain Zanele Nhlapho alongside Bambanani Mbane, Chuene Morifi, Thalea Smidt, and Andisiwe Mgcoyi on the cover.
Ahead of the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League final, the club released a documentary titled Banyana Ba Style: The First Queens of African Football, which premiered on SuperSport channel 202 on 13 November 2022. In 2023, Netflix announced that the documentary would be available on its platform from 22 November.
On 7 April 2024, the club expanded its media presence with the launch of Sundowns Ladies TV, a weekly show broadcast on SABC 1 and hosted by sports presenter Bokamoso Jessica Nkomo (“Aunty Diski”).
Players
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies F.C. squad for 2025 season.
Technical team PositionStaffHead Coach Godfrey SapulaAssistant Coach Agnes NkosiGoalkeeper Coach Koketso TshabalalaHead of Football Christa Kgamphe-JaneTeam Doctor Nokufa MakaeKit Manager Nokubonga BalaAdministrator Dipuo Maboe
Coaching record
+ All-time Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies coaching records Coach Tenure Games Win Loss Draw Win % Jerry Tshabalala – Godfrey Sapula – present (as of March 2026)
Kit suppliers and sponsors Same sponsors as the men's team PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsorSleeve sponsor 2014–2016 Nike Ubuntu-Botho Investments 2016–present Puma Hyundai
Notable players
FIFA World Cup participants List of players that were called up for a FIFA Women's World Cup while playing for Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. In brackets, the tournament played:
Tiisetso Makhubela (2019, 2023) Andile Dlamini (2019, 2023) Karabo Dhlamini (2019, 2023) Lebohang Ramalepe (2023) Melinda Kgadiete (2023) Bambanani Mbane (2023)
Summer Olympics participants List of players that were called up for the Summer Olympic Games while playing for Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. In brackets, the tournament played:
Refiloe Jane (2012) Andisiwe Mgcoyi (2012) Sanah Mollo (2016) Andile Dlamini (2016)
Honours TypeCompetitionTitlesSeasons DomesticSAFA Women's League/National Championship8Champions (8): 2013, 2015, 2019-20, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Gauteng Provincial League3Champions (3): 2013, 2015, 2017 RegionalCOSAFA Women's Champions League3Champions (3): 2021, 2023, 2026 Runners-up (1): 2022 ContinentalCAF Women's Champions League2sChampions (2): 2021, 2023 Runners-up (1): 2022
Shared record
Awards
CAF Club of the Year (Women): 2022, 2023 2023 CAF Women's Champions League: Fair Play Gauteng Sports Awards: Team of the year: 2024 GSports: Newsmaker of the Year: 2025
Club records
TypeNatNameRecordMost Trophies Won - CoachJerry Tshabalala12League victoryvs Thunderbirds Ladies13–0 (2024 SAFA Women's League)COSAFA victoryvs Olympic de Moroni8–0 (2023 COSAFA Women's Champions League)vs Nsingizini Hotspurs8–0 (2026 COSAFA Women's Champions League)Record victoryvs Galeshewe Ladies25–0 (2015 Sasol League National Championship)CAF victoryvs Wadi Degla5–0 (2022 CAF Women's Champions League)Record defeatvs AS FAR4–0 (2022 CAF Women's Champions League)
CAF Women's Champions League record
SeasonPosRecordPWDLFAGD2021Champions53204042022Runners up540112572023Champions55001001020245th place3102532
CAF Women's Champions League COSAFA qualifier record
SeasonPosRecordPWDLFAGD2021Champions5500221212022Runners up31209272023Champions5500211202025Semi-finalist4301122102026Champions550022220
SAFA Women's League record SeasonPosRecordPWDLFAGDPst2019-20Champions222110831370642021Champions262411871473732022Champions30271212613113822023Champions302631971582812024Champions30272111412102832025Champions3026228677980
Orange = In progress Gold = Champions Silver = Runner up
SAFA Women's League statistics
Record number of games won in a season: 27 games (2022 and 2024) Record number of points in a season: 83 points (2024) Record goals scored in a season: 126 goals (2022) Record for lowest number of goals conceded in a season: 7 goals (2025) Record for lowest number of defeats in a season: no games lost (2019–20)
See also Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Academy SAFA Women's League
References
External links