Egyptian Premier League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Egyptian Premier League
EPL Nile League
دوري النيل

Organising body	Egyptian Football Association
Founded	22 October 1948; 76 years ago (22 October 1948)
Country	Egypt
Confederation	CAF
Number of teams	18
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Egyptian Second Division A
Domestic cup(s)	Egypt Cup Egyptian Super Cup
League cup(s)	Egyptian League Cup
International cup(s)	CAF Champions League CAF Confederation Cup
Current champions	Al Ahly (45th title) (2024–25)
Most championships	Al Ahly (45 titles)
Most appearances	Mohamed Abdel Monsef (458)
Top goalscorer	Hassan El-Shazly (173)
TV partners	ON Sport
Website	egyptianproleague.com

The Egyptian Premier League, also known as the Nile League, is Egypt's top professional football league. It's like the highest level of football in the country. The league has 18 teams. Teams can move up to this league or down to a lower one based on how well they play. Seasons usually run from August to May. Unlike many other leagues, games are played throughout the week.

The Egyptian Premier League started in 1948. It brought together smaller local leagues that were around before. Since it began, 70 different clubs have played in the league. Al Ahly is the most successful team, winning the title 45 times. Their main rivals, Zamalek, have won the league 14 times. Only five other clubs have ever won the league: Ghazl El Mahalla, Ismaily, Al Mokawloon Al Arab, Olympic Club, and Tersana.

The Egyptian Premier League is considered one of the best national leagues in Africa. It was ranked first in Africa for the 2024–25 season. This ranking is based on how well Egyptian teams have done in African competitions over the past five years. Egyptian teams have won the CAF Champions League a record 18 times. Al Ahly was even named the African Club of the Century! Two Egyptian clubs have also won the CAF Confederation Cup.

The league used to have many fans attending games. It was one of the highest-attended leagues in Africa and the Middle East. However, a sad event happened on February 1, 2012. This was the Port Said Stadium riot. After a match, 74 people died and over 500 were hurt. Because of this, all domestic football matches were played without fans until 2017. Slowly, more fans were allowed back. By 2021, thousands of supporters were welcomed back into the stadiums.

History of Egyptian Football

Football came to Egypt when the British were in charge. The first football club in Egypt, El Sekka El Hadid, was started in 1903. The Sultan Hussein Cup began in 1917. At first, English clubs won it, but soon Egyptian clubs like Zamalek started winning. The Egypt Cup, which only Egyptian teams played in, began in 1922. Zamalek won that too.

The first big football league in Egypt, called the Cairo League, also started in 1922. It had clubs from Cairo. Other leagues soon started in Alexandria and on the Suez Canal. This was when Zamalek and Al-Ahly became the top teams. They often won the Cairo League and the Egypt Cup.

In 1938, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) took control of these leagues. The EFA decided that Egypt needed one national league instead of many local ones. The President of the EFA shared this idea with King Farouk I, who loved football. The Egyptian Premier League was then created by a royal order and began in 1948.

Early Years (1948–1960)

The very first match in the Egyptian Premier League was on October 22, 1948. Zamalek played Al Masry SC and won 5–1. Mohamed Amin of Zamalek scored the first goal in the league. Saad Rustom, also from Zamalek, scored the first three goals in one game (a hat-trick).

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

In these early years, results from matches between Cairo clubs in the Premier League also counted for the Cairo League. The Cairo League stopped in the 1952–53 season. It was played again briefly in 1957–58 but then stopped for good. Al Ahly won the first three Premier League competitions. In the 1949–50 season, they had to play an extra game against Tersana SC to win.

The league was not played in the 1951–52 season. This was because Egypt's national team was playing in the 1952 Summer Olympics. The season also didn't happen because of the 1952 Egyptian revolution. In this revolution, King Farouk was removed from power. His favorite club, which had used his name, quickly changed its name to Zamalek after the revolution.

Gamal Abdel Nasser, who became the leader after Farouk, supported Al Ahly. He was made the club's honorary president. This made the rivalry between Al Ahly and Zamalek even stronger. Al Ahly won the league every season until 1959–60. Most of these wins were by a small difference over Zamalek. The 1954–55 season was even stopped because Al Ahly had a disagreement with the Egyptian Football Association and left the league. No winner was named that year.

Challenging Times (1960–1974)

In the 1959–60 season, Zamalek finally won their first league title. They had often finished second before. Tersana was second, and Al Ahly finished third. Zamalek won three titles in this decade.

Al Ahly didn't win as many titles during this time. In the 1965–66 season, they finished 6th out of 12 teams. This was closer to being sent down to a lower league than winning the championship. Five different teams won the league in this decade. Ismaily won their first title. El-Olympi and Tersana won the league for the only time in their history. Also, the 1962–63 and 1963–64 seasons had 24 teams, which was more than ever before.

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

The league stopped playing in 1967 because of the Six-Day War. It didn't start again until the 1971–72 season. In 1969, Ismaily was allowed to play in the CAF Champions League. They were the most recent champions from 1966–67. They became the first Egyptian club to win that competition in 1969. Now, both Al Ahly and Zamalek have won it many more times.

In 1971, the league restarted. But it was quickly stopped again because of fighting at a match between Al Ahly and Zamalek. A controversial penalty for Zamalek led to Al Ahly fans running onto the field. The disagreement was so big that the league couldn't continue. No winner was declared, even though Zamalek was in first place. Ghazl El Mahalla won the league in the 1972–73 season. This was the only time they won it. The league was then stopped again for the 1973–74 season because of the Yom Kippur War. A different competition, the October League Cup, was played instead and won by Zamalek.

After the Wars (1974–2002)

After the Yom Kippur War, Al Ahly won three championships in a row. Then Zamalek won one. This pattern continued until 1990: Al Ahly would win many championships, followed by a single win for Zamalek. Zamalek won their single title in the 1977–78 season by a small lead over Al Ahly. This pattern was only broken when Al Mokawloon won in 1982–83. This was the last time a team won the league for the very first time.

The league went back to having 24 teams for the 1975–76 season. But it soon changed back to having between 12 and 16 teams. Tersana almost won the 1974–75 season. They lost to Al Ahly in the final week by a small difference.

In the 1980s, some foreign players were allowed to play in the league. But rules changed in 1985, limiting foreign players. Zamalek and Al Ahly also did very well in the CAF Champions League. Al Ahly won in 1982. Zamalek won in 1984 and 1986. Al Ahly also won the African Cup Winners' Cup three times in a row from 1984 to 1986. Al Mokawloon won the 1983 African Cup Winners' Cup too. The Egyptian Premier League became very successful in these African tournaments.

The league was not played in 1990. This was because Egypt's national team was getting ready for the 1990 World Cup. After this break, Ismaily won the 1990–91 season. Then Zamalek won twice in a row in the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons. After that, Al Ahly won every season until the year 2000. Zamalek and Ismaily became strong again between 2000 and 2004. Zamalek won in 2000-01, 2002-03, and 2003-04. Ismaily's win in 2001–02 was the last time a team other than Zamalek or Al Ahly won the title.

Normalcy, then Disaster (2002–2013)

Between 2004 and 2011, Al Ahly won every Egyptian Premier League title. Sometimes Zamalek or Ismaily challenged them. Al Ahly also continued to be the most successful team in the CAF Champions League.

The league was one of the strongest and most popular in Africa. It ranked high in the CAF 5-year ranking. In 2011, another big change happened in Egypt, part of the Arab Spring. This led to the removal of Hosni Mubarak. Football fans, especially from Al Ahly, were part of these changes.

Port Said Stadium Disaster

On February 1, 2012, a terrible event happened at Port Said Stadium. It was during a match between Al Masry and Al Ahly. After Al Masry won, some fans brought weapons and ran onto the field. They attacked Al Ahly fans, who couldn't escape because the gates behind them were locked. Sadly, 74 people, mostly Al Ahly fans, died. Over 500 people were hurt. The season was stopped. Fans were not allowed to attend matches for years after this.

Behind Closed Doors (2013–2021)

The 2012–13 season was stopped because of political events in Egypt. After this, the Egyptian Premier League slowly started to get back to normal. Al Ahly has won most seasons since 2013. They also won two CAF Champions League titles. Zamalek has won two league titles as well. An attempt to bring fans back was stopped when another incident at a match between Zamalek and ENPPI led to 19 deaths. Fans were finally going to be allowed back into stadiums when the COVID-19 pandemic started. This delayed their return until 2021.

Al Ahly and Zamalek are usually the strongest teams in the league. They have much bigger budgets than other clubs. Ismaily used to be the third strongest team. In 2018, a Saudi billionaire bought Al Assiouty Sport and renamed it Pyramids FC. Since then, Pyramids FC has become a strong team in the Premier League. They have replaced Ismaily as the third-best team.

Fans Return (Since 2021)

At the start of the 2021–22 season, 2000 fans were allowed at each match. This meant 1000 fans for each team. The situation improved, and in May 2022, the number increased to 5000 fans. This made the league more exciting. New teams like Future FC from Cairo and Pharco FC from Alexandria made the league more challenging.

Zamalek won the 2021–22 league title again. Al Ahly had a difficult season and finished third. This was their lowest finish since 1992. Ismaily was almost sent down to a lower division. But they improved their results and finished 9th. Future FC finished 5th and qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup. At the start of the 2022–23 season, 3000 fans per team were allowed to attend matches.

The Trophy

The Egyptian Premier League trophy was shown for the first time in 2023. Al Ahly was the first team to win it at the end of the 2023/24 season. The trophy was specially designed and made by a company in London called Thomas Lyte.

The trophy's design is inspired by Egypt's rich history. It has a modern look. The shield features the wings of Maat, who is the goddess of truth and fair play. The trophy also includes a sundial. This symbolizes Egypt's strong connection to the stars and sky. It also has detailed patterns inspired by ancient Egyptian art and buildings.

How the League Works

Competition Format

There are 18 clubs in the Egyptian Premier League. The season runs from August to May. Each club plays every other club twice. They play once at home and once away. This means each team plays a total of 34 games. Teams get three points for a win and one point for a draw. They get no points for a loss.

At the end of the season, the team with the most points wins the championship. If teams have the same number of points, other rules decide the winner. These rules look at how the teams played against each other. Then they look at goal difference (goals scored minus goals against). Finally, they look at the total goals scored.

The three teams with the fewest points are moved down to the Egyptian Second League. The Egyptian Second League has three groups. The winner of each group gets to move up to the Premier League. This system has been used since 2015. Before that, the number of teams and relegation spots changed.

Sponsorship

The Egyptian Premier League has had sponsors since 2005. The sponsor's name is often added to the league's name. Here's a list of past sponsors:

• 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)

African Competitions Qualification

Egyptian clubs can qualify for big African football competitions. These are the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. The number of teams an association can send depends on its ranking. This ranking is based on how well clubs from that country have performed in African competitions over the past five seasons. Egypt is currently ranked first in Africa. This means Egyptian clubs are eligible to enter two teams in each CAF club competition.

Media Coverage

Before 2014, the two most powerful clubs, Al Ahly and Zamalek, could make their own TV deals. This meant they earned the most money from television. In 2014, the league made a deal with the state-owned Nile Sport Network. This deal was worth about $10 million. However, Al Ahly and Zamalek still got a lot of money. 10% of the money went to the team that had won the most Premier League titles (Al Ahly). Another 10% went to the teams that appeared on TV most often. Still, this deal was a change. It stopped the tradition of only the two big clubs getting much more money than the others.

In 2016, ON Sport TV got the rights to show Egyptian Premier League games. This network is part of the state-owned Egyptian Media Group. This group also controls Presentation Sports, which sponsors the EPL. ON Sport later launched TIME SPORTS to show the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. After that tournament, ON Sport TV and TIME SPORTS merged. They are now known as ON TIME Sports.

Clubs in the League

A total of 70 clubs have played in the Egyptian Premier League since it started in 1948–49. Only two clubs have been in the league every single season: Al Ahly and Zamalek. Al-Ittihad and Al Masry have only missed two seasons each.

Current Egyptian Premier League Clubs

The following 18 clubs are playing in the 2024–25 season:

Teams and Stadiums

League Season Winners

This table shows who won the Egyptian Premier League each season:

Team Performance

Titles Won by Club

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Third places	Winning Seasons
Al Ahly	45	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, 2024–25
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	–	4	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

Performance by City

Winning Both League and Cup

Two teams have won both the Egyptian Premier League and the Egypt Cup in the same season. This is called winning the "double."

Player Statistics

Top Goalscorers Each Season

Ad-Diba, first season's top scorer.

Ali Mohsen, the first non-Egyptian top scorer.

Ahmed El-Kass, top scorer three times in a row.

Hassan Shehata, top scorer twice.

Mahmoud El Khatib, top scorer twice.

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
2024–25	Emam Ashour	Al Ahly	13

All-Time Top Goalscorers

Hassan El-Shazly, the all-time top scorer.

Gamal Abdel-Hamid, ninth all-time top scorer.

El-Sayed El-Dhizwi, fifth all-time top scorer.

Abdallah El Said, a top scorer who is still playing.

Last updated August 24, 2024.

Most Appearances in the League

Images for kids

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  Egyptian Premier League logo

See also

In Spanish: Liga Premier de Egipto para niños