Mamelodi Sundowns give Africa its first win at FIFA Club World Cup with shutout of Ulsan HD

South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns are the first African club to claim all three points from a match at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Masandawana produced a 1-0 victory over South Korean side Ulsan Hyndai on Tuesday evening at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Iqraam Rayners' composed finish from a perfect pass by Lucas Ribeiro made the difference in what was a closely contested match from Group F. Sundowns end the first matchday from the group as the leaders after Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund played to a scoreless draw earlier on Tuesday.

Sundowns seized the offensive early on and could have been up more by halftime. A 29th minute corner kick exposed poor marking from Ulsan and the ball came off Rayners into the goal from close range but a VAR review observed a handball and the goal was disallowed. Rayners had another apparent goal disallowed after a tidy finish close to halftime was disallowed for offsides.

Ulsan showed more initiative in the second half but Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams showed his quality. Ulsan substitute Matias Lacava was played in behind the Sundowns defense in the 81st minute but Williams did enough to keep Lacava's shot out before Keanu Cupido cleared the rebound just in time.

Despite the late push from the Korean side, Sundowns held on for a historic first-ever victory in international competition. They will next face a major test against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday in Cincinnati, Ohio while Ulsan clash with Fluminense in New Jersey.