Ronwen Williams reveals what Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly, Esperance, and other African teams need to become more competitive in FIFA Club World Cup - 'We must keep knocking on the door'

Mamelodi Sundowns' goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has revealed what African teams must do in order to be more competitive in future FIFA Club World Cup assignments.

Williams was part of Sundowns' contingent that took part in the ongoing finals, and they finished third in their respective group.

“We have shown that the margins are very small. We’ve shown that we can compete. We’ve shown that we’ve got the talent, we’ve got the players to compete at the highest level," Williams said, as per iDiski Times.

So, we just need to believe, and we just need to keep knocking on the door. And we showed, I mean, ourselves. Esperance and even Al Ahly got some points at this tournament where people didn’t give us opportunities, and some of us got wins as well," he added.

“So that’s amazing. We need to build on this and just keep growing African football. African football is in a very good space, and we need to use this tournament as a benchmark for all of us to keep growing and getting better.”

Despite the expansion to this year's competition, none of the African sides reached the knockout stage.

After the first two opening games, Sundowns had a more realistic chance to grab a spot in the Round of 16 than the rest, but a goalless draw against Fluminense of Brazil denied them such an opportunity.

However, Williams, who made a costly error against Borussia Dortmund, has pointed out what he believes are key points that will help the African sides compete better in the future.

After the elimination from the global inter-club competition, Sundowns' focus is on their pre-season.

Once the season begins, they will launch a campaign to defend the Premier Soccer League title for a possible ninth straight title. Masandawana will also be eager to have a successful campaign in the CAF Champions League and in the domestic competitions.