Mamelodi Sundowns' R170m FIFA Club World Cup windfall and warm DJ Khaled US welcome

Mamelodi Sundowns received a warm welcome upon their arrival in the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup by one of their most famous supporters and a nice surprise in their bank account.

Music mogul DJ Khaled welcomed the South African league winners to America on social media. In a video shared this week by Roc Nation Sports International, the consultancy partner to Sundowns, the renowned American passionately enthuses “Welcome to America, let’s go!” while brandishing the yellow Sundowns kit.

Sundowns are currently settling into their Bradenton base in Florida ahead of their first Club World Cup game against Ulsan FC next week, which will be followed by further group games against Borussia Dortmund and Fluminese.

Sundowns earned their right to play in the FIFA Club World Cup after winning the FIFA African Football League competition and their consistent displays in the CAF Champions League. Al Ahly of Egypt, Esperance of Tunisia and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco are the other African teams in the competition.

By securing their places, the teams are each guaranteed $9.55 million (about R170 million) in appearance fees. But the teams will also be rewarded for their performances in the group stages and beyond, with FIFA offering up $2 million for win and $1 million for a draw in the group stages. 

Teams that secure qualification for the round of 16 knockout phase - finishing in the top two in their group - will earn another $7.5 million. The quarter-finalists will receive $13.125 million, while the semi-finalists will get $21.0 million.

The two teams who make it to the final will get $30 million each, while the winner will walk away with the impressive gold trophy along with a cool $40 million.

So, it could be quite a lucrative tournament for Sundowns if they manage to go deep in the competition.

@JohnGoliath82