Sundowns will keep the shirt out of circulation this season in tribute to the Bafana Bafana midfielder, who died last month at 25.
PRETORIA, South Africa — Mamelodi Sundowns will retire the No. 8 jersey for the 2026/27 season in honour of Jayden Adams, the club confirmed on Saturday, weeks after the midfielder's sudden death shook South African football.
"In honour of Jayden Adams, the number 8 jersey will be retired for the 2026/27 season," Sundowns said in a social media statement. "A fitting tribute to a player whose impact on the Yellow Nation will never be forgotten."
The reigning African champions added that the No. 8 would "forever carry Jayden Adams' name, memories, and the place he holds in the Mamelodi Sundowns family."
A career cut short
A graduate of the Stellenbosch academy, Adams spent five seasons with the senior side before joining Sundowns in January 2025, making an immediate impact in Pretoria. He helped the Brazilians win the South African Premiership in his debut 2024-25 campaign, then played his part in a CAF Champions League final victory over Morocco's AS FAR last May — the club's second continental crown.
That form carried over to the international stage. Adams started two of South Africa's three group games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and came off the bench in the third, helping Bafana Bafana reach the knockout stage for the first time in the nation's history before a stoppage-time 1-0 defeat to co-hosts Canada in the round of 32.
The football world mourns
Adams died on July 11, just weeks after returning from the World Cup, a loss that sent shockwaves through South African and global football. FIFA president Gianni Infantino led the tributes: "My thoughts and condolences, as well as those of everyone at FIFA and the global football community, are with his family, friends and teammates. The Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns star will be sorely missed."
By retiring the No. 8, Sundowns will carry Adams' memory into the new season, which kicks off Saturday against Polokwane City in the MTN8 — with the defence of their CAF Champions League crown still to come later in the campaign.