Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana says their participation in the Fifa Club World Cup will give them a chance to showcase their talent on a world stage.

The Brazilians automatically qualified for the global tournament after beating Egyptian side Zamalek in the finals to being crowned champions of Africa.

The Bafana Bafana midfielder says he is relishing the chance to represent Africa in a tournament like the Fifa Club World Cup.

‘As players, we really need these kinds of tournaments – it’s a huge one where we, as Mamelodi Sundowns, never thought about or saw ourselves participating in,’ Kekana told KickOff.com.

‘It’s a stage where we would obviously want to do well, and try to win the matches, but going there as underdogs is always nice because expectations are less.

‘We can look forward to just going there and doing our best in representing Africa.’

The 31-year-old admits that the global tournament will give the Brazilians a chance to showcase their talent on a world stage.

‘It’s an opportunity that, as players, we really need in order to showcase our ability on the world stage. It would be nice to see one or two of our guys in the team get contracts in Europe.’

Mamelodi Sundowns will now take on the winner in the between host Kashima Antlers and New Zealand side Aukland City on Saturday.