Egyptian Premier League (Egypt)

History

Early beginnings & foundation (pre-1948 and 1948–1960)

The national league was officially founded on 22 October 1948 by royal decree. The first match was between Zamalek and Al Masry, with Zamalek winning 5-1. The first goal was scored by Mohamed Amin of Zamalek, and the first hat-trick was scored by Saad Rustom in the same match. In the early seasons, Al Ahly dominated the league, winning the first three titles.

Turbulent times & expanding competition (1960-1974)

Zamalek won their first league title in the 1959-60 season, which broke Al Ahly’s period of dominance. In that same decade, other teams like Ismaily, El Olympi, and Tersana also won their first titles. The league was interrupted several times due to conflict, including the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973. For example, the 1973-74 season was replaced with an “October League Cup.”

Growth & modernisation (1974-2002)

After the disruptions, the league became stable again. Al Ahly and Zamalek continued to dominate, but other teams like Al Mokawloon Al Arab broke through and won the league in the 1982-83 season. Lots of talented players emerged during this era, raising the profile of Egyptian football. Players such as Hassan Shehata and Mahmoud El Khatib were prominent during this time. The league’s competitiveness, attendance, and infrastructure all generally improved through the late 20th century.

Recent decades: disruptions, reforms, and challenges (2002-present)

From 2004 to around 2011, Al Ahly won consecutive league titles almost without interruption. The Port Said Stadium disaster on 1 February 2012 was a major turning point in Egyptian football history. A riot during a match between Al Masry and Al Ahly resulted in 74 deaths and over 500 injuries. As a result, matches were played behind closed doors for years.

The 2012-13 season was cancelled after political unrest. There were further disruptions before fans were gradually allowed back into stadiums from around 2017 onwards. More recently, the league has experimented with new formats to manage a congested schedule and to align with international calendars. For example, the 2024-25 season introduced a new format with 18 teams and two phases: an initial single round-robin, followed by a split into a championship and a relegation group.

Key milestones & records

– Most successful club: Al Ahly, with 45 league titles as of the 2024-25 season.
– All-time top goalscorer: Hassan El-Shazly.
– Most appearances: Mohamed Abdel Monsef.
– In the 2024-25 season, a new league format was introduced. Relegation was cancelled for that season, and extra teams were promoted to expand the league size for the next season.

Structure & format

The league is expanding to 21 teams for the 2025-26 season, up from 18. This change follows the decision to cancel relegation in the 2024-25 season, allowing promoted teams to join without any teams dropping down. This is part of a plan to return to a more traditional number of teams with stable promotion and relegation rules in the future.

Season calendar & timing

The 2025-26 regular season started on 8 August 2025 and runs until May 2026, which aligns with the calendar of many international competitions. The previous season also adjusted its schedule, with a kickoff date of 30 October 2024 and an end date of 31 May 2025.

Format / match structure

Starting in the 2024-25 season, the league adopted a two-phase, or “split-league,” format.
– 2024-25 format: The first phase had all 18 teams play each other once. The league then split into a championship group (top 9 teams) and a relegation group (bottom 9 teams). Each group played a single round-robin among themselves.
– 2025-26 format (with 21 teams): The first phase will be a single round-robin where all 21 teams play each other once.The league will then split into two groups based on team performance: a championship group for the top 7 teams, and a relegation group for the remaining 14 teams.

Points, ranking, and tie-breakers

The points system is the same in both phases: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Ranking is based on points, with tie-breakers including goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head results.

Promotion & relegation

Relegation was cancelled for the 2024-25 season. For the 2025-26 season, four teams will be relegated from the relegation group to the Egyptian Second Division A. Three teams were promoted for the 2025-26 season, bringing the total number of teams in the top division to 21.

Group composition & stakes

– The championship group will decide the league champion and which clubs qualify for CAF competitions, such as the Champions League and the Confederation Cup.
– The relegation group will decide which clubs drop down to the second tier. The stakes are high, especially given the expanded number of relegated teams in 2025-26.

Clubs / teams

Current clubs (2025-26 season)

The Egyptian Premier League will have 21 clubs in the 2025-26 season. Some of the key clubs are Al Ahly, Zamalek, Ismaily SC, Al Ittihad Alexandria, Al Masry, and others like Smouha SC, ENPPI, and El Gouna.

Most successful clubs

– Al Ahly is by far the most successful club in the history of the Egyptian Premier League, with 45 league titles as of the end of the 2024-25 season.
– Zamalek is next with 14 titles.
– Other clubs that have won the league include Ismaily (3), Tersana (1), Al-Olympi (1), Ghazl El-Mahalla (1), and Al Mokawloon (1).

Notable clubs & club profiles

– Al Ahly: Founded in 1907 in Cairo, they are the most successful club and one of Africa’s top teams.
– Zamalek: Founded in 1911 in Cairo, they are Al Ahly’s main rival and have won many domestic and continental trophies.
– Ismaily SC: Founded in 1924 in Ismailia, they are sometimes seen as the “third” power in Egyptian football and have a strong fan base outside of Cairo.
– Al Ittihad Alexandria: Founded in 1914 in Alexandria, they are a historic club from the city and have been involved in many local rivalries.
– Al Masry: Founded in 1920 in Port Said, they have a strong regional identity and have historically been a tough team to play against at home.

Club rivalries

The biggest rivalry is between Al Ahly and Zamalek, both from Cairo. The matches between them are known as the Cairo Derby. Other regional rivalries include Al Ahly vs. Ismaily and Al Ahly vs. Al Masry. There are also rivalries between the clubs from Alexandria (Al Ittihad and Smouha) and those from Cairo.

Stadiums & home grounds

The Cairo International Stadium is often used for big matches, especially for Al Ahly and Zamalek. Al Masry uses the Borg El Arab Stadium for some of their big fixtures. Many regional clubs have smaller home stadiums, and while infrastructure has been improving, it is still not always consistent.

Club achievements outside the league

Many of the top clubs, especially Al Ahly and Zamalek, have strong records in continental competitions, such as the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. Winning domestic cup competitions like the Egypt Cup and Egyptian Super Cup also adds to a club’s prestige and history

Players & records

Top goalscorers (all-time)

The all-time leading scorer in the Egyptian Premier League is Hassan El-Shazly of Tersana, with 173 goals. The top five all-time goalscorers are:
– Hassan El-Shazly – 173 goals.
– Hossam Hassan (clubs: Al Ahly, Zamalek, and others) – 168 goals.
– Abdallah Said – 129 goals.
– Moustafa Reyadh – 123 goals.
– El-Sayed El-Dhizui – 112 goals.

Most appearances

Mohamed Abdel Monsef holds the record for the most appearances in the league’s history, with 458 matches. Other players with high appearance counts include Essam El Hadary (455), Abdallah Said (438), and Hossam Hassan (401).

Recent & seasonal top scorers

For the 2024-25 season, top scorers included Wessam Abou Ali, who was the league’s top scorer. For the 2025-26 season, Abderrahim Deghmoum of Al Masry is among the early leaders with 4 goals.

Notable players / legends

Some of the most iconic players in Egyptian Premier League history are:
– Hassan El-Shazly: The top all-time scorer, known for being a prolific goalscorer in his era.
– Hossam Hassan: A player known for his consistency and long career, with success across top clubs.
– Moustafa Reyadh: Known for his high-scoring ability, he was the top scorer in multiple seasons in the 1960s.
– Other significant players include El-Sayed El-Dhizui, Mahmoud El Khatib, and Mohamed Aboutrika.

Foreign players & regulations

Clubs are allowed to have up to five foreign players per team, no matter what position they play. Historically, foreign goalkeepers were not allowed, but this rule was changed in 2021. There are many foreign players from countries like Nigeria, Morocco, and Ghana, who have been active in recent seasons. Walid Azaro (Morocco) set the record for the highest scorer by a foreign player in a single season, scoring 18 league goals in his debut season with Al Ahly.

Records & special achievements

Beyond league goals, players like El-Shazly have also been very influential in cup and continental tournaments. This highlights their overall contribution to their clubs’ history.

Competition & trophies

League title / trophy

The main trophy is the League Title, which is given to the team that finishes in first place each season. As of the 2024-25 season, Al Ahly won the title, which was their 45th league championship.

Domestic cups & super cups

While the Premier League is the top competition, Egyptian football also has several related domestic competitions:
– Egypt Cup: This is the main knockout cup competition in Egypt, with clubs from all different levels competing.
– Egyptian Super Cup: This is usually a match between the Premier League champion and the Egypt Cup winner.
– League Cup: In some seasons, there have been additional cup-style competitions.

Qualification via the league for other competitions

The Premier League is a way to qualify for continental tournaments:
– CAF Champions League: The teams that finish in the top positions in the league usually qualify. The champion and runner-up typically get a spot.
– CAF Confederation Cup: This is another continental competition. Qualification usually comes from a good league position or through winning one of the cup competitions.

Records & noteworthy achievements

– The Egyptian Premier League is currently ranked first among African leagues in CAF’s 5-year ranking. This is due to the strong performances of Egyptian clubs in continental tournaments.
– Only 7 clubs have ever won the league since it was established in 1948: Al Ahly, Zamalek, Ismaily, Tersana, Al-Olympi, Ghazl El-Mahalla, and Al Mokawloon Al Arab.
– Al Ahly holds the record for most league titles, far ahead of any other club.

Recent season case: 2024-25

In the 2024-25 season:
– Al Ahly were champions, winning their 45th title.
– No teams were relegated at the end of the season, which was a change from the usual system.
– Pyramids and Zamalek also earned a spot in continental competitions through their league finishes.

Regulations & governance

Governing bodies & statutes

The Egyptian Premier League is overseen by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA). The EFA is responsible for setting all the rules about competition formats, player registration, disciplinary procedures, and more. In November 2020, the EFA introduced a new set of rules to update its governance and clarify administrative and financial structures. Oversight also comes from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which makes sure the league follows national sports laws.

Foreign player regulations

Clubs are allowed to register foreign players, but there are limits. For many recent seasons, the limit has been four foreign players per club. There was also a ban on foreign goalkeepers, which was lifted in early 2021. The EFA then permitted up to five foreign players per club for the 2021-22 season.

Player registration & transfer windows

Transfers are tied to the standard windows, with the winter transfer window being in January. Clubs must follow the EFA’s rules on player eligibility. For example, in some seasons, players from Palestine, Syria, or the North-African Football Union have been treated differently to ease restrictions.

Governance & legal framework

The EFA has brought in updated rules to address transparency, financial management, club licensing, and how disputes are resolved. There is a legal sports framework in Egypt (Sports Law No. 71 of 2017) that helps define how federations and professional leagues are regulated under state supervision.

Recent regulatory reforms & alignment

One of the recent changes is the alignment of the season calendar and competition structure with international standards. This is to reduce fixture congestion and improve the integrity of the league. There have also been reforms on foreign player quotas, registration rules, and an expansion in the number of clubs to ensure a smoother transition during structural changes.

Sportmonks and the Egyptian Premier League

Sportmonks provides a Football Data API with global coverage of live scores, match schedules, statistics, line-ups, league tables, betting odds, and more. Our API is very well-structured and easy for developers to use.

API 3.0 features

In version 3.0, Sportmonks added new endpoints and a wider range of data types, including:

– Transfer endpoints: To track player transfers between clubs.
– Referee statistics: Data about referees’ performance.
– Predictive line-ups: Forecasts of team line-ups before they are announced.
– Detailed player positions: Specific positions like “centre-back” or “striker” instead of general roles.
– Expected goals (xG): Advanced metrics to measure offensive performance.
– Match facts and events: Rich data on everything that happens during a match.
– Semi-live ball coordinates: For tracking the position of the ball.

League coverage

Sportmonks’ Football API covers over 2,300 leagues and tournaments worldwide. The Egyptian Premier League is one of the national leagues for which Sportmonks can provide match schedules, team and player statistics, league tables, and other data.

How our API is useful

– Up-to-date data: By using Sportmonks data, you can get current and historical data for the Egyptian Premier League, such as league tables and recent results.
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– Automated retrieval: Because of Sportmonks’ API structure (REST, JSON responses, token-based authentication), data retrieval can be automated. This ensures accuracy and timeliness.

Bring the Egyptian Premier League closer with Sportmonks

The Egyptian Premier League continues to grow in scale and competitiveness, and with Sportmonks you can capture every moment with precision. Our Football API covers the league in detail, from live scores and fixtures to player statistics, predictive line-ups, advanced metrics like expected goals, and even referee data. Whether you are building a platform for fans, developing scouting tools, or creating betting insights, Sportmonks gives you the accuracy, depth, and speed you need. Start exploring the Sportmonks Football API today and take your Egyptian Premier League coverage to the next level.