The South African giants reached this stage after surviving a scare from Stade Malien in the second leg quarter-final match played on Sunday evening.
Sundowns went to Bamako on the back of a comprehensive 3-0 advantage over the Malian side in the first leg, however, they lost 2-0 but qualified 3-2 on aggregate.
Stade Malien sparked their quest to overturn their deficit when they took an early lead courtesy of Taddeus Nkeng’s header from close range, with VAR ruling out the initial offside flag.
Nkeng thought he had doubled his team’s lead a few minutes later, but VAR ruled his effort offside for being in an offside position.
Before the half-time break, the hosts doubled their advantage as Haman Mandjan reacted quickest to a rebound following a scramble in the penalty area.
Despite a surging attacking display in the second half, the West Africans were unable to get the much-needed third goal to restore parity as they missed several scoring opportunities.
Thanks to the result, Sundowns have now reached a fourth consecutive last-four appearance - a feat which underlined their consistency among Africa’s elite clubs.
On the other side, Esperance produced a commanding performance in Cairo to send Al Ahly packing from the tournament following a 3-2 away win.
Fuelled by their intimidating home fans, the Egyptians took a 10th-minute lead when Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ capitalised on a defensive lapse by the visitors.
Notwithstanding Al Ahly’s dominance, it was the Tunisians who had the final say in the second half as they scored three goals to win the five-goal thriller and progressed 4-2 on aggregate.
To reach the final, Esperance must negotiate their way past the South Africans, who are gunning for a second African title. Sundowns’ only triumph came in 2016 when they overcame Zamalek 3-1 on aggregate.
The second semi-final game will see two Moroccan sides AS FAR and RS Berkane, battle for the second ticket for the final. Both semi-finals will be held in April, while the final will be staged in May 2026.