Egypt Premier League 2026/27: Season Guide, Fixtures & Betting Preview
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Egypt Premier League 2026/27: Season Guide – Key Dates, Fixtures & Betting Preview
Zamalek are champions of the Egypt Premier League for the 15th time, ending a four-year wait and interrupting Al Ahly’s recent dominance.
For 2026/27, both Cairo giants have turned to African coaches: Al Ahly appointed Morocco’s Hussein Ammouta, while Pyramids FC brought in South Africa’s Rulani Mokwena. The season starts on 21 August 2026 with a new 20-club format and it’s shaping up to be Egypt’s most fiercely contested title race in years.
Egypt Premier League 2025/26 – Table, Standings & Season Recap
The Egyptian Premier League runs in two phases. Phase 1 is a regular season in which every club plays each other once.
Phase 2 then splits the division into a Championship Group (the top finishers, who fight for the title and CAF competition places) and a Relegation Group (the lower finishers, who battle to avoid the drop). This format has been overhauled for 2026/27.
2025/26 Final Championship Group Standings
Zamalek headed a table of the Egypt Premier League as champions, ahead of different sides on the table with qualifications to continental competitions and cup successes.
| Pos | Team | Points | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zamalek (Champions) | 56 | Clinched title with 1-0 win over Ceramica Cleopatra; qualified for 2026/27 CAF Champions League. |
| 2 | Pyramids FC | 54 | Runners-up; qualified for 2026/27 CAF Champions League. |
| 3 | Al Ahly | 53 | Finished third; drop into the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup. |
| 4 | Ceramica Cleopatra | 44 | Finished fourth, outside the continental places |
| 8 | ZED FC | They qualified for the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup because they finished as runners-up in the Egypt Cup to Pyramids FC (who had already qualified for the Champions League). |
Zamalek sealed the championship after a tight race with Pyramids, finishing top of the Championship Group on 56 points, two clear of the runners-up on 54.
Relegated from the Premier League: Kahrabaa Ismailia, Haras El Hodoud, Pharco, and Ismaily.
Season Stats at a Glance
From its kick-off on 8 August 2025 to its conclusion on 29 May 2026, the Egypt Premier League was packed with notable wins, losses, goals, and individual performances.
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season Dates | 8 August 2025 – 29 May 2026 |
| Teams | 21 clubs (expanded from 18 after no relegation in 2024/25) |
| Biggest Home Win | Al Masry 4-0 Kahrabaa Ismailia |
| Biggest Away Win | Tala’ea El Gaish 0-3 Al Masry |
| Highest-Scoring Match | Kahrabaa Ismailia 2-5 Zamalek |
| Zamalek’s Top Scorer | Oday Dabbagh – 9 league goals (13 in all competitions) |
| Zamalek’s CAF Confederation Cup Finish | Confederation Cup Runners-up, beaten on penalties by USM Alger |
| Total League Goals | 569 |
Storylines that Defined the 2025/26 Egypt Premier League Season
Zamalek ended a four-year drought; their last title before 2025/26 was in 2021/22, with Al Ahly dominating in between (43rd title in 2022/23, 44th in 2023/24, 45th in 2024/25). Zamalek got there despite burning through three managers across the campaign (Yannick Ferrera, then two caretakers) before finishing two points clear of Pyramids.
Al Ahly finished third in the Championship Group, below both Zamalek and Pyramids, and will play Confederation Cup football rather than Champions League football in 2026/27.
Ismaily’s relegation ended a 68-year stay in the top flight, their first drop since 1957/58 and only the second in the club’s history. They are one of Egypt’s oldest clubs, founded in 1924 and the first Egyptian side to win the African Cup of Champions Clubs. The 2026/27 Egypt Premier League begins without one of its most historically relevant names.
Premier League Egypt – Top Scorers, Scores and Season Stats 2025/26
Ahmed Yasser Rayyan finished as the top scorer of the 2025/26 Egyptian Premier League campaign with 13 goals (including four penalties) playing for the National Bank of Egypt.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals (Penalties) | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmed Yasser Rayyan | National Bank of Egypt | 13(4) | 28 |
| 2 | Trezeguet | Al Ahly SC | 11(3) | 21 |
| 3 | Ali Sulieman | Kahrabaa Ismailia | 11(5) | 31 |
| 4 | Osama Faisal | National Bank of Egypt | 10(2) | 31 |
| 5 | Oday Dabbagh | Zamalek SC | 9(0) | 24 |
| 6 | Franck Boli | Wadi Degla FC | 9(0) | 25 |
| 7 | Nasser Maher | Pyramids FC | 9(2) | 26 |
| 8 | Adham Hamed | Petrojet | 9(7) | 33 |
Palestinian striker Oday Dabbagh stepped up as Zamalek SC’s attacking spearhead during their 2025/26 championship run, netting 9 league goals and tallying 13 goals across all competitions to lead their title-winning campaign. His output continues a tradition of scorers in the Egyptian Premier League.
| Season | Player | Club | Goals | Award/Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Ahmed Yasser Rayyan | National Bank of Egypt | 13 | Golden Boot winner |
| 2024/25 | Emam Ashour | Al Ahly | 13 | Golden Boot winner |
| 2024/25 | Mahmoud Gad | Pyramids FC | 12 clean sheets | Best Goalkeeper |
| 2023/24 | Wessam Abou Ali | Al Ahly | 18 | Golden Boot winner |
| 2022/23 | Mabululu | Al Ittihad Alexandria | 16 | Golden Boot winner |
Scores and Season Stats 2025/26
The 2025/26 Egyptian Premier League season featured a total of 322 matches across the 34 rounds of fixtures, showcasing variations in attacking efficiency and scoring consistency across the competing teams.
Al Ahly SC established themselves as the most effective attack in the league, netting 44 goals to finish with the highest scoring average of 1.69 goals per match. Attacking dynamics varied by venue, with Al Masry Club leading the home efficiency charts by averaging 1.77 home goals per match, while champions Zamalek SC proved most dangerous on the road, racking up an average of 1.83 away goals per game.
The data also highlights differences in match volatility, regarding both teams scoring and overall offensive struggles. Kahrabaa Ismailia emerged as the league’s most unpredictable and action-packed side, participating in matches where both teams found the net (BTTS) a league-high 67% of the time, including a 74% of their home fixtures.
Conversely, finding the back of the net was an issue for the lowest-performing attacks; both Ismaily SC and Pharco FC failed to score in 64% of their total matches, with Ismaily’s drought being away from home, where they went scoreless in 74% of their travels.
Egypt Premier League Teams, Players & What’s New in 2026/27
Promoted Teams From the Egyptian Second Division A
The three clubs promoted from the Egyptian Second Division A into the Egyptian Premier League for the 2026/27 season are El Qanah, Asyut Petroleum, and Abo Qir SC. El Qanah FC finished as the undisputed champions of the Second Division A. They anchored their campaign on consistency, amassing 75 points and suffering just three defeats over 34 matches.
Asyut Petroleum SC claimed the second promotion spot after finishing as runners-up with 60 points, highlighted by a crucial 1-0 win on the final matchday against Baladiyyat El Mahalla. Abo Qir SC clinched the final top-flight ticket by locking down third place with 58 points, capping off their season with a dominant 4-0 home victory against Raya SC. These three clubs will replace Ismaily SC, Kahrabaa Ismailia, Haras El Hodoud, and Pharco FC, who were all relegated at the end of the previous cycle.
New Format for 2026/27
The Egyptian Professional Clubs Association has officially restructured the Phase 2 groupings for the upcoming 2026/27 Egyptian Premier League season, reducing the Championship Group from seven teams down to the top six teams. The league will feature 20 clubs competing in a single-round first phase.
| Stat | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Clubs | 21 | 20 |
| Phase 1 Matches | 20 per team | 19 per team |
| Championship Group | Top 7 clubs | Top 6 clubs |
| Relegation Group | Bottom 14 clubs | Bottom 14 clubs |
| Clubs Relegated | 4 | 4 |
| Clubs Promoted | 3 | 3 |
With only six clubs in the Championship Group rather than seven, this format change matters for betting, the title race is more exclusive and the margins are tighter than in previous seasons, as confirmed by the Egyptian Professional Clubs Association.
A complete guide to the 20 sides in the Egypt Premier League in the 2026/27 season:
| Team | Team |
|---|---|
| Abo Qir Fertilisers | Modern SC |
| Al Ahly SC | National Bank of Egypt |
| Al Ittihad Alexandria | Olympic El Qanah |
| Al Mokawloon | PetroJet |
| Al-Masry | Pyramids |
| Asyut Petroleum | Smouha SC |
| Cleopatra FC | Talaea El-Gaish |
| El Gouna FC | Wadi Degla |
| ENPPI | Zamalek |
| Ghazl El Mehalla | ZED FC |
Manager Changes – The African Coaches Revolution
Al Ahly, Africa’s most decorated club, have handed the reins to Ammouta on a multi-year deal after a below-par campaign. Pyramids FC, meanwhile, have lured Mokwena, one of sub-Saharan Africa’s highest-profile coaches, following his exit from Libya’s Al Ittihad Tripoli.
| Club | Out | In | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ahly | Jess Thorup (Denmark) | Hussein Ammouta (Morocco) | Former Wydad AC manager who won the 2017 CAF Champions League, plus spells in charge of Morocco’s local national team and Jordan |
| Pyramids FC | Krunoslav Jurčić (Croatia) | Rulani Mokwena (South Africa) | Previously head coach at Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Casablanca, MC Alger and, most recently, Al Ittihad Tripoli. |
| Zamalek | No Change | Motamed Gamal (retained) | Led Zamalek to the title as caretaker from January; a move for Serbian coach Vuk Rašović fell through, and the club confirmed Gamal would stay on with full authority for 2026/27 |
Egypt Premier League Players and Coaches to Watch in 2026/27
Ahead of 2026/27, the Egypt Premier League will be shaped by different players (Oday Dabbagh, Emam Ashour etc) and coaches (like Rulani Mokwena), with the title race taking attention.
| Player | Nation | Club | Position | Why they Matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oday Dabbagh | Palestine | Zamalek | Forward | The defending champions’ top scorer in 2025/26 (9 league goals, 13 in all competitions), now signed through to 2029. |
| Emam Ashour | Egypt | Al Ahly | Midfielder/Forward | 2024/25 Golden Boot winner (13 goals) and a key Egyptian international. |
| Rulani Mokwena | South Africa | Pyramids FC | Coach | Not a player, but the most closely followed African football figure newly arrived in Egypt. His presence alone will draw South African and pan-African eyes to Pyramids all season. |
Egypt Premier League Key Transfers 2026/27
The summer 2026 transfer window has been shaped by the managerial upheaval at the top of the table. Al Ahly, under Ammouta, have moved early, signing winger Aqtay Abdallah and midfielder Ali Mahmoud from ENPPI on five-year deals as the new coach begins reshaping his squad ahead of the campaign. Aqtay Abdallah scored six goals with three assists in 24 appearances for ENPPI last season; Ali Mahmoud scored four with four assists in 33.
Pyramids FC have also seen change up front: DR Congo international Fiston Mayele, their talismanic striker of recent seasons, has departed the club as Mokwena begins his own rebuild. Mayele left as Pyramids’ all-time leading scorer with 54 goals in 125 games and was the 2024/25 CAF Champions League top scorer. Zamalek have begun their pre-season camp with Motamed Gamal holding full authority over first-team affairs, and further signings are expected before the 21 August opener.
Following Ismaily SC’s relegation, senior players Mohamed Ammar and Mohamed Nasr transferred to Al Mokawloon Al Arab and the National Bank of Egypt SC, respectively. Additionally, winger Mohamed Abdelsamia moved to Smouha SC on a free transfer, while right winger Amr El Said departed the club as a free agent. You can find further updates on Ismaily SC’s roster changes through their official club announcements.
Ismaily SC also cleared out its foreign talent and released several senior players to cut costs. The club officially released Burkinabé forward Eric Traoré and Palestinian striker Khaled Al-Nabris from their contracts amid intense financial restructuring. Additionally, left-back Hatem Mohamed (Sukar) and midfielder Mohamed Wagdi were both released by club management, ending their time with the squad.
Egypt Premier League Games and Fixtures 2026/27
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| 21 August 2026 | Season Starts – Matchday (MD) 1: Zamalek vs Al Ittihad Alexandria |
| 23 August 2026 | MD1: Al Ahly vs Al Sharqia ENPPI |
| 11 October 2026 | MD6: Al Ahly vs Zamalek – The Cairo Derby |
| 23 November 2026 | Round 9: Al Ahly vs Pyramids FC |
| 4–6 Sep 2026 | CAF Champions League preliminary round, first leg: Zamalek and Pyramids |
| 4–6 Sep 2026 | CAF Confederation Cup first preliminary round: ZED FC |
| 8 March 2027 | Phase 2 begins – Championship Group (top 6) and Relegation Group (bottom 14) split |
| 28 May 2027 | Season Concludes |
Al Ahly vs Zamalek is set for 11 October 2026 (MD6); this is arguably the biggest club fixture in African football. Between them, the two Cairo giants hold a combined 60 Egyptian league titles, Al Ahly’s 45 against Zamalek’s 15.
Egypt Premier League Predictions 2026/27 – Who Will Win?
Zamalek
The defending champions have faced turbulence in the lead-up to the 2026/27 season. They are now heading into the CAF Champions League. Zamalek won the 2025/26 title despite going through three different managers in a single season. Motamed Gamal’s confirmation as permanent head coach finally brings the stability that was missing, and he inherits a squad that delivered: top scorer Oday Dabbagh, a Confederation Cup runners-up run, and a domestic title.
The added burden of Champions League fixtures will bring fixture congestion that Zamalek haven’t had to manage in recent seasons, but if the squad stays largely intact, back-to-back titles are realistic.
Al Ahly
Al Ahly head into the season with 45 titles, a new manager, and a point to prove. Finishing third in the 2025/26 Championship Group (below both Zamalek and Pyramids) represents a genuine low point for Africa’s most decorated club.
The appointment of Hussein Ammouta signals a serious technical reset. Ammouta led Jordan to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup final and laid the early groundwork in the qualifiers leading Jordan to their first-ever World Cup qualification; he departed in June 2024. Al Ahly’s presence in the Confederation Cup rather than the Champions League means fewer continental fixtures and more energy to throw at the domestic title. Expect a hungrier Al Ahly than in recent seasons.
Pyramids FC
Pyramids won the 2024/25 CAF Champions League, their first, and lifted the 2026 Egypt Cup by beating ZED 2-1, yet have never won the league. The arrival of Rulani Mokwena adds a fresh tactical dimension and continental credibility.
Pyramids finished only two points behind champions Zamalek in 2025/26. If Mokwena settles in quickly, Pyramids have the squad to win a first league title.
Dark Horse: ZED FC
ZED finished 8th in phase one on 29 points and reached the Egypt Cup final. They return to the Confederation Cup on the back of a run of solid mid-table finishes. These trends show that they will be genuine dark horses even without genuine title pedigree.
Our Pick
With Gamal now confirmed and a settled squad, Zamalek look best placed to defend their crown, but the gap to Pyramids and a reinvigorated Al Ahly is the smallest it has been in years. This looks set to be a genuine three-way race, so shop around the 22Bet outright markets rather than assuming a repeat of 2025/26.
Egypt Premier League Relegation Battle – Who Goes Down?
The 2026/27 relegation group again holds 14 clubs, but with the championship group cut from seven to six, one more side now finds itself in the survival bracket. With so many sides fighting to avoid the bottom four, the value in relegation markets is spread wider than usual.
- El Qanah, Asyut Petroleum and Abo Qir all face the step up from the Second Division A, and the gap is wider than their promotion form suggests. El Qanah lost only three of 34 matches on the way up; Abo Qir scraped the third spot on 58 points. Historically at least one of the three goes straight back down.
- Petrojet have a scoring problem the table hides. Their leading marksman, Adham Hamed, finished on nine goals — but seven of them were penalties. Two goals from open play across 33 appearances from a club’s top scorer is the profile of a side that cannot create, and that tends to tell over a 13-match relegation group.
Four of these 14 go down, and the maths is harsher than it looks: the championship group has been cut from seven to six, so one more side drops into the survival bracket than last season. That extra club is usually a mid-table side that would previously have coasted, which is where the relegation-market value sits.
Crédito: Link de origem