With Mamelodi Sundowns having booked their ticket for the extended 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, they have also secured a massive pay cheque worth R1 billion.
Sundowns were knocked out of the CAF Champions League semi-final for a second successive campaign after going down 1-0 to ES Tunis, losing the tie 2-0 on aggregate.
But despite another CAFCL heartbreak, Masandawana booked their spot at the extended 2025 FIFA Club World Cup after Al Ahly eliminated TP Mazembe in the other semi-final.
Sundowns qualified via the ranking pathway alongside ES Tunis, while Al Ahly and Wydad AC qualified as recent CAFCL winners.
As a consequence, Sundowns are in for a massive pay cheque, as the extended Club World Cup is expected to have an overall prize pool for the 32-team tournament.
FIFA are yet to officially announce the prize money for the tournament, which will be hosted in the United States next year.
However, reputable publications such as the Guardian and Football Italia have reported that the overall prize money is €2.5 billion.
It is further claimed that each of the qualified teams will bank €50 million (R1 billion) just for taking part in the new showpiece and before any other match-related bonuses.