About Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League is Egypt's top - tier professional football league.
Historical Evolution: Founded in 1948 with the aim of unifying the previously existing local leagues, a total of 70 clubs have participated in the league since its establishment.
Tournament Overview:
Participating Teams: There were 18 teams in the 2024 - 2025 season, and the league will expand to 21 teams for the 2025 - 2026 season.
Competition Format
The 2025 - 2026 season will adopt a new two - phase format. In the first phase, teams play a single - round robin. After that, they are divided into two groups: the top 7 teams enter the title - challenging group to compete for the championship and intercontinental tournament qualifications, while teams ranked 8th to 21st enter the relegation group to avoid relegation. All points accumulated by teams in the first phase will be carried over to the second phase. Four teams will be relegated this season, and the number of relegated teams will increase to 5 in the 2027 - 2028 season, with the league planning to be streamlined to 18 teams.
Match Schedule
The season usually starts in August and ends in May of the following year. Unlike most other leagues, matches can be held on any day of the week.
Organizing Body: Organized by the Egyptian Football Association.
Team Distribution: Teams are mainly concentrated in the capital Cairo, its surrounding areas, and the second - largest city, Alexandria. Among the 18 teams in the 2024 - 2025 season, 11 are located in the Greater Cairo area, 3 in Alexandria, and the remaining 4 in El Mahalla El Kubra, Hurghada, Ismailia, and Port Said.
Traditional Powerhouses
Al Ahly and Zamalek are the traditional powerhouses in the league. Al Ahly has won 45 league championships, and Zamalek has claimed 14 titles. In addition, teams such as El Gaish Mahalla, Ismaily, and Arab Mokawloon have also had championship - winning experiences.
League Ranking
According to CAF's (Confederation of African Football) 5 - year ranking for the 2024 - 2025 season, which is based on performance in African competitions over the past 5 seasons, the Egyptian Premier League ranks first in Africa. Egyptian teams have won the CAF Champions League 18 times, and Al Ahly was named the "Club of the Century" by CAF.
Fan Attendance
It was once one of the leagues with the highest average attendance in Africa and the Middle East. However, the Port Said stadium riot on February 1, 2012, which resulted in 74 deaths and over 500 injuries, led to all domestic football matches being played behind closed doors. It was not until 2017 that local security authorities began to allow a small number of fans to attend, and since 2021, the league has welcomed back a large number of fans.