Egyptian Premier League

(Redirected from Egyptian League)

The Egyptian Premier League (Arabic: الدوري المصري الممتاز), also known as the Nile League (Arabic: دوري النيل) for sponsorship purposes, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest division of Egyptian football league system. The league comprises 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Egyptian Second Division A. Seasons mostly run from August to May. Unlike most other leagues, games are played on all days of the week.

Egyptian Premier League
Nile League
Organising bodyEgyptian Football Association
Founded22 October 1948; 76 years ago (22 October 1948)
CountryEgypt
ConfederationCAF
Number of teams18
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toEgyptian Second Division A
Domestic cup(s)
International cup(s)CAF Champions League
CAF Confederation Cup
African Football League
Current championsAl Ahly (44th title)
(2023–24)
Most championshipsAl Ahly (44 titles)
Most appearancesMohamed Abdel Monsef (458)
Top goalscorerHassan El-Shazly (173)
TV partnersONTime Sports and Time Sports
(live matches and highlights)
Websiteegyptianproleague.com
Current: 2024–25 Egyptian Premier League

The Egyptian Premier League was founded in 1948, unifying the local leagues that had existed previously. 70 clubs have competed in the league since its founding. Al Ahly have won the title 44 times, more than any other club. Their closest rivals, Zamalek, have won the league 14 times. Only five other clubs have won the league; those clubs are Ghazl El Mahalla, Ismaily, Al Mokawloon Al Arab, Olympic Club, and Tersana.

The Egyptian Premier League is one of the top national leagues, ranked second in Africa according to CAF's 5-year ranking for the 2022–23 season, based on performances in African competitions over the past five seasons. Egyptian teams have won the CAF Champions League a record 16 times, and Al Ahly was named the African Club of the Century by CAF.[1] Two clubs have also won the CAF Confederation Cup.

The Egyptian Premier League once had among highest average stadium attendance in Africa and the Middle East until the Port Said Stadium riot occurred on 1 February 2012 after a league match involving Al Masry and Al Ahly, where 74 people were killed and more than 500 were injured.[2] Since that date, all domestic football matches were played behind closed doors until 2017, when the local security authorities started to allow fans to attend selected matches with gradually increasing numbers starting from 100 attendance only and in 2021, the league started to welcome back thousands of supporters.

History

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Association football was introduced to Egypt while it was occupied by the British. The first football club in Egypt was El Sekka El Hadid, which was founded in 1903. The Sultan Hussein Cup was founded in 1917, and though it was dominated by English clubs in its first years, until Zamalek won it for the first time in 1921, Egyptian clubs quickly gained power.[3] The Egypt Cup, which no British teams competed in, began in 1922, and won by Zamalek.[4]

The first major football league in Egypt also began play in 1922; consisting of clubs from Cairo, it was called the Cairo League. Three other leagues, in Alexandria, on the Suez Canal, and an obscure league in Bahary[note 1] began soon afterwards. It was at this time that the clubs Zamalek and Al-Ahly[note 2] began their dominance, with the two clubs regularly winning the Cairo League and the Egypt Cup.[5]

In 1938, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) took control of the Cairo Zone Competition, along with the other three leagues. The Cairo Zone Competition was renamed the Cairo League, but otherwise remained mostly unchanged until the mid-1940s. The EFA felt that a national league, rather than many local leagues, was necessary. The President of the EFA passed the idea on to King Farouk I, who was an avid football fan. The Egyptian Premier League was founded by royal decree, and began play in 1948.[3]

Early years (1948–1960)

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The first match, played on October 22, was between Zamalek and Al Masry SC, and finished in a 5–1 victory for Zamalek. The match featured the first goal in the Egyptian Premier League, scored by Zamalek's Mohamed Amin, and the first hat-trick in the new league, by Zamalek's Saad Rustom.[6]

 
The Al Ahly squad that won the first Egyptian Premier League season.

During this time, Priemer League results in matches between clubs from Cairo were counted as Cairo League results as well. The Cairo League ceased play in the 1952-53 season and was once played again in the 1957-58 season and cancelled after that season with a narrow difference in the list of title winners between Cairo rivals, 15 titles for Al Ahly and 14 titles for Zamalek. Zamalek was focused on the Cairo League, winning three consecutive titles from 1949 to 1952, while Al Ahly was dominating the newly born Egyptian League. Despite the importance for this league, few informed and statistics are available.[5]

Few players rose to prominence in Egyptian football in the 1950s, such as; El-Sayed El-Dhizui, Essam Baheeg, Saleh Selim, Hanafy Bastan, Ahmed Mekkawi, Sharif El-Far, Rifaat El-Fanagily, Alaa El-Hamouly, Ad-Diba and Mahmoud El-Gohary. Al Ahly won the first three competitions, though in 1949–50 they required a playoff against Tersana SC.[7] The league was not contested during what would have been the 1951–52 season, as Egypt's national team were competing in the 1952 Summer Olympics. The season also did not take place due to the 1952 Egyptian revolution, in which King Farouk was overthrown. Farouk had allowed his name to be used by his favourite club, which quickly renamed itself Zamalek after the revolution.

Gamal Abdel Nasser, who led the coup and took power after Farouk, was a supporter of Al Ahly, and was named club's honorary president soon after he came to power. This increased the intensity of the already fierce Cairo derby between Al-Ahly and Zamalek.[8] Al Ahly won the competition every season until the 1959–60 season, with the majority in a narrow difference with Zamalek. The 1954–55 season was even stopped when Al Ahly conflicted with the Egyptian Football Association and withdrew. No title was awarded.

Turbulent Times (1960–1974)

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In the 1959–60 season, Zamalek finally won their first title after consistently being runners-up, and Tersana were runner-ups and Al Ahly finished third. Zamalek won three titles this decade with the help of a new generation led by Hamada Emam, Nabil Nosair, Raafat Attia, Abdou Noshi, Samir Qotb, Yakan Hussein, Ahmed Rifaat, Mahmoud Abou-Regaila and others.

 
The Zamalek squad that won the 1963–64 Egyptian Premier League season.

Al Ahly's grip on the league loosened; though they did win some titles, in the 1965–66 edition, they finished in 6th out of 12, closer to relegation than to the championship.[9] The decade had five different champions: Ismaily won their first title during this decade, and El-Olympi and Tersana won the league for the only time. Also, the 1962–63 and 1963–64 seasons featured 24 teams, a higher number than ever before.[5]

The league ceased play in 1967 due to the Six-Day War and league play was not resumed until the 1971-72 season. In 1969, Ismaily were allowed to play in the CAF Champions League (then the African Cup of Champion Clubs) as the most recent champions (1966-67 champions).[note 3] They became the first Egyptian club to win that competition in 1969, though both Al Ahly and Zamalek have now won it many more times.[10]

In 1971, the league was restarted, only to be swiftly suspended again due to fighting at a match between Al Ahly and Zamalek. A controversial penalty for Zamalek which was scored by Farouk Gaafar, this resulted in a pitch invasion from Al Ahly fans after Al Ahly goalkeeper Marwan Kanafany asked the fans to protest, and the dispute was so intense that the league was not allowed to continue, and no winner was declared, despite Zamalek finishing 1st in the table.[11] Ghazl El Mahalla won the league in the 1972–73 season for the only time in their history, but the league was then suspended again for the 1973–74 season because of the Yom Kippur War, and replaced with the October League Cup, which was played once and won by Zamalek.[5]

Post-war Period (1974–2002)

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In the 1970s, a new generation of talented players emerged in the Egyptian football such as; Hassan Shehata, Mahmoud El Khatib, Taha Basry, Farouk Gaafar, Moustafa Abdou, Ali Khalil, Ali Abo Gresha, Mussad Nur and others. Although this generation did not achieve positive results with their country's national team in the 1970s, the league was a strong tournament and full of talents.

After the Yom Kippur War, Al Ahly won three championships straight, followed by a single championship for Zamalek. This pattern would continue until 1990: Al Ahly would win many championships, followed by a single win for Zamalek, who won their single title in the 1977–78 season with a narrow lead over Al Ahly. This was only interrupted by Al Mokawloon winning the 1982–83 edition. This is the latest time a team has won the League for the first time.[5] The league returned to its 24-team format for the 1975–76 season, but it quickly reverted to a format featuring between 12 and 16 teams. Tersana were close of winning the 1974–75 season and lost in the final week to Al Ahly with a narrow difference. Top goal scorers fluctuated between Hassan Shehata, Mahmoud El Khatib and Ali Khalil. The 1978–79 season was a 12 teams format.

In The 1980s, selected foreign players were chosen to play in the league such as Zamalek's Emmanuel Quarshie, and Al Mokawloon's Joseph-Antoine Bell, until the rules were changed with new limitations on foreign players in 1985. Zamalek and Al Ahly also dominated the CAF Champions League, starting with a 1982 triumph for Al Ahly, and Zamalek in 1984 and 1986, followed by Afro-Asian Club Championship for Zamalek in 1987, which Al Ahly won the next year. Al Ahly also won the African Cup Winners' Cup for three consecutive times from 1984 to 1986. Al Mokawloon won the 1983 African Cup Winners' Cup as well. The Egyptian Premier League became the most successful league in that tournament when Zamalek won in 1993, followed by their win in the CAF Super Cup over Al Ahly in 1994, with two Egyptian contenders for the first time in a continental final.[10]

The league was not played in 1990 because of Egypt's qualification for the 1990 World Cup. After this delay, Ismaily won the 1990–91 season, followed by Zamalek winning twice in a row in the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons, and after that Al Ahly won every season until the turn of the century. Zamalek and Ismaily briefly rose in power once again between 2000 and 2004, with Zamalek winning 2000-01, 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons and Ismaily's 2001–02 win is the latest time that a team other than Zamalek and Al Ahly have won the title.[5]

Normalcy, then Disaster (2002–2013)

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Between 2004 and 2011, Al Ahly won every edition of the Egyptian Premier League, occasianally being challenged by Zamalek or Ismaily. They also continued to dominate the CAF Champions League, becoming the most successful team in the competition.

The league was one of the strongest and best-attended in Africa,[12] ranking near the top of the CAF 5-year ranking since its inception. In 2011, another revolution began, part of the Arab Spring, which eventually resulting in the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. Football featured heavily in the popular uprising, as ultras from clubs such as Al Ahly took part in the revolution.[11]

Port Said Stadium Disaster

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On 1 February 2012, a riot began at Port Said Stadium at a match between Al Masry and Al Ahly. Fans of Al Masry had brought weapons and stormed the field after their team won the match. These fans then charged Al Ahly fans, who could not flee because the gates behind them were locked.[13] 74 people, mostly fans of Al Ahly, died of stab wounds, concussions, and suffocation.[14] Over 500 people were injured.[2] In the days after the riot, the police response was questioned—they appeared to do little to protect Al Ahly fans.[13] It was widely speculated that the police themselves had incited the riot,[15][16] perhaps as revenge for the role of Al Ahly ultras in the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak the previous year.[17]

The violence and resulting trial tore Egypt apart for weeks.[2] The season was cancelled,[18] with Haras El Hodoud at the top of the table and possibly heading for a surprise victory.[19] Fans were to be barred from entering matches for years afterwards,[20] but the Egyptian Premier League attempted to get back on its feet the next season.

Behind Closed Doors (2013–2021)

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The 2012–13 season was cancelled as a result of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état. After this, the Egyptian Premier League gradually returned to power. Al Ahly has won most seasons since 2013, and have also won two CAF Champions Leagues. Zamalek has won two league titles as well. An attempted return of fans was cancelled when a riot at a match between Zamalek and ENPPI resulted in 19 deaths.[21] Fans were finally going to be let back into stadiums when the COVID-19 pandemic began, delaying the return until 2021.[20]

Teams 2009–10 2010–11 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021-22
ASC 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 3
ZSC 2 2 3 1 2 2 4 2 2 1 1
ISM 3 3 4 6 6 6 2 7 11 13 11
PFC 9 3 3 3 2
  League champions
  Champions League
  Confederation Cup

In general, AL Ahly and Zamalek are seen as dominant forces in the league, with budgets that dwarf those of all the other clubs, and Ismaily seen as a distant third place club, occasionally challenging the big teams.[22] In 2018, Al Assiouty Sport were bought by Saudi billionaire Turki Al-Sheikh and renamed Pyramids FC.[23] They have since become a strong competitor in the Premier League and also the CAF Confederation Cup, replacing Ismaily as the third-strongest team in the league.[24]

Partial fans return (since 2021)

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At the beginning of the 2021–22 season, 2000 fans were allowed in every match (1000 per team). The situation was getting better that in May 2022 the number increased to 5000 (2500 per team). The season witnessed an improvement of the Egyptian Premier League, the appearance of teams such as: Cairo's based Future FC and Alexandria's based Pharco FC made the league more challenging and entertaining.

Zamalek defended their title after they won the 2021–22 edition of the league, while Al Ahly witnessed a mass deterioration and even finished the league in the 3rd place (behind Pyramids FC and Zamalek) to be out of the top two since 1992 when the club ended the league in the 4th place. Ismaily was on the verge of relegation to the second division but the club eventually managed to improve its results and finished the season in 9th place, while the newly founded Future FC finished in 5th place and managed to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup, as it was in fourth place in most of the 2021–22 season but lost the position to Tala’ea El Geish right at the end of the season. At the start of the 2022–23 season, 3000 fans per team were allowed to attend matches.

Competition format and sponsorship

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Competition

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There are 18 clubs in the Egyptian Premier League. The season lasts from August to May. During the course of the season, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 34 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then the head-to-head record between the teams in question, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion. If points are equal, the head-to-head record between the teams in question, then goal difference, and then goals scored determine the winner. At the end of the season, the three lowest placed teams are relegated into the Egyptian Second League. The Egyptian Second League consists of three groups; the winner of each group is promoted. This system has been around since 2015; before then, the number of teams and relegation places was variable.

Sponsorship

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The Egyptian Premier League has been sponsored since 2005. The sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:

  • 2005–07: Vodafone Egyptian Premier League
  • 2007–11: Etisalat Egyptian Premier League
  • 2011–14: Vodafone Egyptian Premier League
  • 2014–present: Egyptian Premier League (Sponsored by Presentation Sports)

Qualification for African competitions

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Association ranking for 2022–23 CAF competitions

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Legend
Rank Association 2018
(× 1)
2018-19
(× 2)
2019–20
(× 3)
2020–21
(× 4)
2021–22
(× 5)
Total
2022 2021 Mvt CL CC CL CC CL CC CL CC CL CC
1 1     Morocco 5 7 5 7 8 8 4 6 9 5 194
2 2     Egypt 5 3 4 5 11 6 8 3 7 4 176
3 4   +1   Algeria 5 2 5 1 3 1 6 5 7 1 115
4 3   -1   Tunisia 9 0 8 6 6 0 4 3 5 1 113
5 5     South Africa 2 0 6 0 3 0.5 8 2 5 4 109.5

Media coverage

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As the two most powerful clubs, Al Ahly and Zamalek were, before 2014, allowed to negotiate their own television deals. This allowed them to gain the largest television revenue of any club. In 2014, the league negotiated a £E 70,000,000 ($10,160,000) deal with the state-owned Nile Sport Network. However, the deal still guaranteed a great deal of money for Al Ahly and Zamalek, with 10% of revenue going to the team that had won the most Egyptian Premier Leagues (which is, comfortably, Al Ahly), and 10% going to the teams who appeared on television most frequently. Still, the deal did break the tradition of allowing the two clubs to negotiate deals that produced far more profit than the rest of the clubs in the league.[22]

In 2016, ON Sport TV was granted the rights to televise Egyptian Premier League games. The network is part of the state-owned Egyptian Media Group, which also controls EPL sponsor Presentation Sports.[25] On Sport launched TIME SPORTS to televise the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations which was hosted by Egypt, right and after the end of the tournament, ON sport TV merged with TIME SPORTS and became known as ON TIME Sports.

Clubs

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A total of 70 clubs have played in the Egyptian Premier League from its inception in 1948–49 up to and including the 2020–21 season. But only two clubs have been members of the Egyptian Premier League for every season since its inception. These are Al Ahly and Zamalek, meanwhile Al-Ittihad and Al Masry have been absent only for two seasons of the League since its inception.

Egyptian Premier League current clubs

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The following 18 clubs are competing in the Egyptian Premier League as of the 2024–25 season.

Teams

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Locations of Egyptian Premier League teams from Greater Cairo (Cairo and Giza)

Current stadiums

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Team Location Stadium[note 4] Capacity
Al Ahly Gezira Cairo International Stadium 75,000
Ceramica Cleopatra 6th of October TBD TBD
ENPPI New Cairo Petrosport Stadium 16,000
Ghazl El Mahalla El Mahalla El Kubra Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium 14,564
El Gouna El Gouna Khaled Bichara Stadium 12,000
Haras El Hodoud Mahatet El Raml Haras El Hodoud Stadium 22,000
Ismaily Ismailia (Sheikh Zayed) Ismailia Stadium 18,525
Al Ittihad Shatby Alexandria Stadium 19,676
Al Masry Port Said (Al Dawahy) TBD TBD
Modern Sport Mokattam TBD TBD
National Bank of Egypt Agouza TBD TBD
Petrojet Suez (Faisal) TBD TBD
Pharco Amreya TBD TBD
Pyramids New Cairo 30 June Stadium 30,000
Smouha Smouha Alexandria Stadium 19,676
Tala'ea El Gaish Al Waili Gehaz El Reyada Stadium 20,000
Zamalek Mit Okba Cairo International Stadium 75,000
ZED Sheikh Zayed City TBD TBD

List of seasons

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The following table provides a summary of seasons:[26]

No. Season Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place
1 1948–49 Al Ahly (1) Tersana Ismaily
2 1949–50 Al Ahly (2) Tersana Zamalek
3 1950–51 Al Ahly (3) Zamalek Al Masry
1951–52
Not played due to participation in the 1952 Summer Olympics.
4 1952–53 Al Ahly (4) Zamalek Al Masry
5 1953–54 Al Ahly (5) Zamalek Tersana
1954–55
Not finished due to refusal of Al Ahly to comply with
the federation's penalty of playing one match away from home.
6 1955–56 Al Ahly (6) Zamalek El Qannah
7 1956–57 Al Ahly (7) Zamalek Ismaily
8 1957–58 Al Ahly (8) Zamalek El Olympi
9 1958–59 Al Ahly (9) Zamalek Tersana
10 1959–60 Zamalek (1) Tersana Al Ahly
11 1960–61 Al Ahly (10) Zamalek Tersana
12 1961–62 Al Ahly (11) Zamalek Tersana
13 1962–63 Tersana (1) Zamalek Al Ahly
14 1963–64 Zamalek (2) Tersana Ismaily
15 1964–65 Zamalek (3) Ismaily Tersana
16 1965–66 El Olympi (1) Zamalek Ismaily
17 1966–67 Ismaily (1) Al Ahly Tersana
1967–71
Not played due to the Six-Day War.
1971–72
Not finished due to violence during Al Ahly vs Zamalek match.
18 1972–73 Ghazl El Mahalla (1) Zamalek Ismaily
1973–74
Not finished due to the 6th of October War.
19 1974–75 Al Ahly (12) Tersana Ismaily
20 1975–76 Al Ahly (13) Ghazl El Mahalla Zamalek
21 1976–77 Al Ahly (14) Zamalek El Ittihad El Sakndary
22 1977–78 Zamalek (4) Al Ahly El Olympi
23 1978–79 Al Ahly (15) Zamalek Ghazl El Mahalla
24 1979–80 Al Ahly (16) Zamalek Al Masry
25 1980–81 Al Ahly (17) Zamalek Al Masry
26 1981–82 Al Ahly (18) Zamalek El Ittihad El Sakndary
27 1982–83 Al Mokawloon (1) Zamalek Al Ahly
28 1983–84 Zamalek (5) Al Ahly Ismaily
29 1984–85 Al Ahly (19) Zamalek Ismaily
30 1985–86 Al Ahly (20) Zamalek Ismaily
31 1986–87 Al Ahly (21) Zamalek Tersana
32 1987–88 Zamalek (6) Al Ahly Ghazl El Mahalla
33 1988–89 Al Ahly (22) Zamalek Ghazl El Mahalla
1989–90
Not finished due to preparation of Egypt for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
34 1990–91 Ismaily (2) Al Ahly Zamalek
35 1991–92 Zamalek (7) Ismaily Ghazl El Mahalla
36 1992–93 Zamalek (8) Al Ahly Ghazl El Mahalla
37 1993–94 Al Ahly (23) Ismaily Zamalek
38 1994–95 Al Ahly (24) Zamalek Ismaily
39 1995–96 Al Ahly (25) Zamalek Ismaily
40 1996–97 Al Ahly (26) Zamalek El Mansoura
41 1997–98 Al Ahly (27) Zamalek Al Mokawloon
42 1998–99 Al Ahly (28) Zamalek Ismaily
43 1999–00 Al Ahly (29) Ismaily Zamalek
44 2000–01 Zamalek (9) Al Ahly Al Masry
45 2001–02 Ismaily (3) Al Ahly Zamalek
46 2002–03 Zamalek (10) Al Ahly Ismaily
47 2003–04 Zamalek (11) Al Ahly Ismaily
48 2004–05 Al Ahly (30) ENPPI Haras El Hodoud
49 2005–06 Al Ahly (31) Zamalek ENPPI
50 2006–07 Al Ahly (32) Zamalek Ismaily
51 2007–08 Al Ahly (33) Ismaily Zamalek
52 2008–09 Al Ahly (34) Ismaily Petrojet
53 2009–10 Al Ahly (35) Zamalek Ismaily
54 2010–11 Al Ahly (36) Zamalek Ismaily
2011–12
Not finished due to the Port Said Stadium riot.
2012–13
Not finished due to the 30th of June revolution
55 2013–14 Al Ahly (37) Smouha Zamalek
56 2014–15 Zamalek (12) Al Ahly ENPPI
57 2015–16 Al Ahly (38) Zamalek Smouha
58 2016–17 Al Ahly (39) Misr Lel Makasa Zamalek
59 2017–18 Al Ahly (40) Ismaily Al Masry
60 2018–19 Al Ahly (41) Zamalek Pyramids
61 2019–20 Al Ahly (42) Zamalek Pyramids
62 2020–21 Zamalek (13) Al Ahly Pyramids
63 2021–22 Zamalek (14) Pyramids Al Ahly
64 2022–23 Al Ahly (43) Pyramids Zamalek
65 2023–24 Al Ahly (44) Pyramids Zamalek

Performance

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Performance by club

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Club Winners Runners-up Third places Winning Seasons
Al Ahly         44 12 4 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24
Zamalek   14 34 11 1959–60, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1977–78, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2014–15, 2020–21, 2021–22
Ismaily 3 7 17 1966–67, 1990–91, 2001–02
Tersana 1 5 7 1962–63
Ghazl El Mahalla 1 1 5 1972–73
El Olympi 1 2 1965–66
Al Mokawloon 1 1 1982–83
Pyramids 3 3
ENPPI 1 2
Smouha 1 1
Misr Lel Makasa 1
Al Masry 6
El Ittihad El Sakndary 2
El Qannah 1
El Mansoura 1
Haras El Hodoud 1
Petrojet 1

Titles won by club (%)

  Al Ahly – 44 (67%)
  Zamalek – 14 (22%)
  Ismaily – 3 (5%)
  Tersana – 1 (1.5%)
  Ghazl El Mahalla – 1 (1.5%)
  El Olympi – 1 (1.5%)
  Al Mokawloon – 1 (1.5%)

Performance by city

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City Winners Club(s)
Cairo
45
Al Ahly (44) and Al Mokawloon (1)
Giza
15
Zamalek (14) and Tersana (1)
Ismaïlia
3
Ismaily (3)
El Mahalla El Kubra
1
Ghazl El Mahalla (1)
Alexandria
1
El Olympi (1)

Doubles

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Two teams have won the double of the Egyptian Premier League and the Egypt Cup.

Club Number Seasons
Al Ahly
16
1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1995–96, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2016–17, 2019–20, 2022–23
Zamalek
4
1959–60, 1987–88, 2014–15, 2020–21

Statistics

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All seasons top goalscorers

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Ad-Diba, first season's top scorer.
 
Ali Mohsen, the first non-Egyptian top scorer.
 
Ahmed El-Kass, three consecutive times, top scorer.
 
Hassan Shehata, twice top scorer.
 
Mahmoud El Khatib, twice top scorer.
 
John Utaka, first non-Arab top scorer.
Season Player Club Goals
1948–49   Ad-Diba El Ittihad El Sakandary 15
  El-Sayed El-Dhizui Al Masry
1949–50   El-Sayed El-Dhizui Al Masry 13
1950–51   El-Sayed El-Dhizui Al Masry 13
1952–53   Ahmed Mekkawi Al Ahly

12

1953–54   Abdel Nabi Tersana 18
1955–56   Sayed Saleh Al Ahly 12
1956–57   Hamdi Abdel Fattah Tersana 22
1957–58   Hamdi Abdel Fattah Tersana 19
1958–59   El-Sayed El-Dhizui Al Ahly 16
1959–60   Hamdi Abdel Fattah Tersana 15
1960–61   Ali Mohsen Zamalek 16
1961–62   Moustafa Reyadh Tersana 18
1962–63   Hassan El-Shazly Tersana 32
1963–64   Moustafa Reyadh Tersana 27
1964–65   Hassan El-Shazly Tersana 23
1965–66   Hassan El-Shazly Tersana 16
1966–67   Ali Abo Greisha Ismaily 15
1972–73   Omasha Omasha Ghazl El Mahalla 11
1974–75   Hassan El-Shazly Tersana 34
1975–76   Ossama Khalil Ismaily 17
1976–77   Ali Khalil Zamalek 17
  Hassan Shehata Zamalek
1977–78   Mahmoud El Khatib Al Ahly 11
1978–79   Ali Khalil Zamalek 12
1979–80   Hassan Shehata Zamalek 14
1980–81   Mahmoud El Khatib Al Ahly 11
1981–82   Gamal Gouda Al Masry 8
1982–83   Mahmoud El-Mashaqui Ghazl El Mahalla 9
1983–84   Ayman Shawky Koroum 8
1984–85   Mohamed Hazem Ismaily 11
1985–86   Mohamed Hazem Ismaily 11
1986–87   Emad Soliman Ismaily 11
1987–88   Gamal Abdel-Hameed Zamalek 11
1988–89   Mahmoud El-Mashaqui Ghazl El Mahalla 11
1990–91   Mohamed Ramadan Al Ahly 14
1991–92   Ahmed El-Kass El Olympi 14
1992–93   Ahmed El-Kass El Olympi 16
1993–94   Ahmed El-Kass El Olympi 15
  Bashir Abdel Samad Ismaily
1994–95   Abdullah El-Sawy El Qannah 10
  Ahmed Sary El Ittihad El Sakandary
1995–96   Mohamed Salah Abo Greisha Ismaily 14
1996–97   Ayman Moheb El Mansoura 17
1997–98   Abdul-Hamid Bassiouny Zamalek 15
1998–99   Hossam Hassan Al Ahly 15
1999–00   John Utaka Ismaily 17
2000–01   Tarek El-Said Zamalek 13
2001–02   Hossam Hassan Zamalek 18
2002–03   Ahmad Belal Al Ahly 19
2003–04   Abdel Halim Ali Zamalek 20
2004–05   Emad Moteab Al Ahly 15
2005–06   Mohamed Aboutrika Al Ahly 18
2006–07   Flávio Amado Al Ahly 17
2007–08   Alaa Ibrahim Petrojet 15
2008–09   Ernest Papa Arko Tala'ea El Gaish 12
  Flávio Amado Al Ahly
2009–10   Minusu Buba Ittihad El Shorta 14
2010–11   Ahmed Abd El-Zaher ENPPI 13
  Shikabala Zamalek
2013–14   John Antwi Ismaily 11
2014–15   Hossam Salama El-Dakhleya 20
2015–16   Hossam Salama Smouha 17
2016–17   Ahmed El Sheikh Misr Lel Makasa 17
2017–18   Walid Azaro Al Ahly 18
2018–19   Ahmed Ali Al Mokawloon 18
2019–20   Abdallah El Said Pyramids 17
2020–21   Mohamed Sherif Al Ahly 21
2021–22   Ahmed Sayed (Zizo) Zamalek 19
2022–23   Mabululu El Ittihad El Sakandary 16
2023–24   Wessam Abou Ali Al Ahly 18

All time top goalscorers

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Hassan El-Shazly, all-time top scorer.
 
Gamal Abdel-Hamid, ninth all-time top scorer.
 
El-Sayed El-Dhizwi, fifth all-time top scorer.
 
Abdallah El Said, scored the most goals of any active player and the fourth all-time top scorer.

Last updated 24 August 2024.

No. Player Teams Goals
1 Hassan El-Shazly Tersana 173
2 Hossam Hassan Al Ahly / Zamalek / Al Masry / Tersana / El Ittihad El Sakandary 168
3 Abdallah Said Ismaily / Al Ahly / Pyramids / Zamalek 129
4 Moustafa Reyadh Tersana 123
5 El-Sayed El-Dhizui Al Masry / Al Ahly 112
6 Mahmoud El Khatib Al Ahly 109
7 Ahmed El-Kass El Olympi / Zamalek / El Ittihad El Sakandary 107
8 Mohamed Aboutrika Tersana / Al Ahly 106
9 Gamal Abdel-Hamid Al Ahly / Zamalek 101

All time top appearances

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No. Player Matches
1 Mohamed Abdel Monsef 458
2 Essam El Hadary 455
3 Abdallah Said 438
4 Hossam Hassan 401
5 Ahmed Shedid Qenawi 361
6 Abdelwahed El-Sayed 345
7 Hady Khashaba 301
8 Osama Azab 300
9 Mahmoud Fathallah 292
10 Hossam Ashour 290

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Al-Ahly". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c James Legge (2013). "In pictures: Jubilation in Cairo, riots in Port Said". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b Mohamed El-Sayed (2004). "When life began". Ahram Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  4. ^ Tarek Said (2019). "Egypt 1921/22". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Amro Hassanin and Tarek Said (2020). "Egypt - List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  6. ^ Tarek Said (2018). "Egypt 1948/49". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  7. ^ Tarek Said (2007). "Egypt 1949/50". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  8. ^ Gary Parkinson (2016). "FourFourTwo's 50 Biggest Derbies in the World, No.10: Al Ahly vs Zamalek". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  9. ^ Tarek Said (2007). "Egypt 65/66". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b Stephen Halchuk, Neil Morrison and Karel Stokkermans (2022). "African Champions' Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  11. ^ a b Alaa Al Aswany (2014). "Egypt's Enduring Passion for Soccer". New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Egyptian Derbies You Don't Want to Miss". Daily News Egypt. 2022. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  13. ^ a b Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Ian Lee (2012). "Anger flares in Egypt after 79 die in soccer riot". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Egypt football violence leaves many dead in Port Said". BBC News. 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  15. ^ Mohamed El Dahshan (2012). "Egypt's tragedy: This is not just soccer violence". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Egyptian police incited massacre at stadium, say angry footballers". The Observer. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  17. ^ Brent Latham (2012). "The politics behind Egypt's football riot". ESPN. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Egypt's Premier League cancelled". BBC News. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  19. ^ Mahmoud Elassal (2012). "Harras El-Hodoud want Champions League clarification". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  20. ^ a b Nadine Khaled (2021). "Egyptian Football Fans to Return to Stadiums After a 6-Year Ban". Egyptian Streets. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  21. ^ Aswat Masriya (2015). "19 Killed In Egypt Stadium Violence". Egyptian Streets. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  22. ^ a b Ebrahim, Mohamed & Pifer, Nathan & Shalaby, Saad & Hakim, Karim & Mubarak, Hosam & Zhang, James. (2018). Is Egyptian soccer well-positioned for business purposes? Assessing competitive balance in the Egyptian Premier League. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. 19. 00-00. 10.1108/IJSMS-05-2017-0036.
  23. ^ Nick Said (2018). "Egyptian football revolution to take Africa by storm". ESPN. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  24. ^ "The Crazy Story of Egyptian Football Club Pyramids FC". Hooligan F.C. 10 May 2020. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  25. ^ George Mikhail (2019). "Who controls Egypt's sports scene?". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  26. ^ Tarek Said, MD. "Zamalek Sporting Club – Egyptian Football Net نادي الزمالك الرياضي و كرة القدم المصرية". Angelfire.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2017.

Notes

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  1. ^ Bahary is an area of Alexandria, but it is not clear whether the league represented that area or not
  2. ^ first named El-Mokhtalat and then King Farouk Club
  3. ^ They won in the 1966–67 season.
  4. ^ Main stadiums for the 2024–25 season are listed only. Clubs are allowed to play selected matches at alternative venues; whether due to unavailability, security concerns, or other reasons. For example, Al Ittihad, a team from Alexandria, may play some home games at Borg El Arab Stadium, instead of their regular home stadium, Alexandria Stadium.
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