It is a record-equalling achievement which they share with giants Al Ahly of Egypt.
What makes Sundowns’ run even better is the fact that in nine of the 10 previous group competitions, they have got past the group phase and into the last eight.
But they have often not been able to reach the final in eight of the past 10 – the exceptions being when they won in 2016 and then again last season when they lost to Pyramids of Egypt over two legs.
The quest to reach the group phase of the Champions League remains a top priority for clubs, particularly with the Confederation of African Football substantially increasing the prize money for clubs in recent years, even more so of late.
The winner gets $4 million and the runner-up half of that. The semi-finalists take home $1.2 million while the four quarter-finalists get $900,000. The sides who do not make it out of the group phase still walk away with $700,000 each.
This season marks the 30th edition of the Champions League, introduced in 1997 with eight teams competing in two groups and the winners heading directly to a two-legged final.
Orlando Pirates were one of the original eight, but their upset elimination at the hands of Congolese club Lupopo means they miss out after reaching the semi-finals last campaign.
This season, African football royalty Al Ahly and Espérance from Tunisia have extended the record-breaking number of times they have qualified for the group phase to 23.
It means the two North African giants have only missed seven group phases each, the last for Al Ahly in 2015 and Espérance in 2016.
This is Sundowns’ 13th time in the group phase in total, which puts them tied fourth with Zamalek for the greatest number of overall appearances. Third is TP Mazembe from DR Congo with 14 qualifications to the group stage.
