CAIRO — The first phase of the 2024–2025 Egyptian Premier League’s exceptional season has concluded after 17 rounds of competition, with Pyramids FC leading the standings on 42 points, followed by Al-Ahly with 39 points, and Zamalek in third place on 32 points.
The second phase will commence on Tuesday, March 11, with the first-round fixture featuring a highly anticipated Cairo Derby between Al-Ahly and Zamalek. The match is scheduled to kick off at 9:30pm (Cairo local time) at Cairo International Stadium, serving as the official opener of the playoff phase.
Both Al-Ahly’s Swiss manager Marcel Koller and Zamalek’s Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro will be seeking a crucial victory to secure three points, extend their winning runs, and close the gap on Pyramids FC at the top of the table.
The first-phase encounter between Al-Ahly and Zamalek ended in a 1-1 draw, with the White Knights coming from behind to secure a crucial point.
Moroccan winger Achraf Bencharki opened the scoring for the Red Devils in the 72nd minute, but Zamalek’s Moroccan left-back Mahmoud Bentayeb equalized in the 83rd minute.
Al-Ahly will clash with Pyramids FC in the second round of the second phase, while Zamalek is set to face Haras el-Hodoud the following day.
This exceptional season format features 18 clubs and is divided into two phases. The first phase followed a traditional single round-robin format, after which the teams were separated into two groups based on their standings at the conclusion of the first phase.
Under the new tournament format, the total number of matches has been reduced, with each team playing 25 matches instead of the 34 played in previous seasons.
The top nine teams will compete for the league title and qualification spots in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. They are Pyramids FC, Al-Ahly, Zamalek, Al-Masry pf Port Said, NBE Club, Ceramica Cleopatra, Pharco FC, Petrojet, and Haras el-Hodood.
The bottom nine teams will fight to avoid relegation to the Professional League. They are Talae el-Geish, ZED FC, Smouha, Al-Ittihad of Alexandria, Ghazl El-Mahalla, El-Gouna, Ismaili, Enppi, and Modern Sport.
All teams will retain their points from the first phase heading into the second. They will face each group opponent once more, with matches played at the opposite venues from the first phase fixtures.
At the end of the season, the bottom two teams from the relegation group will be demoted, while three clubs will be promoted from the Professional League, expanding the top flight to 19 teams next season.
If two or more clubs are level on points at the end of the season, their final positions will be determined according to the following criteria, applied in order: Goal difference in the second phase. Total goals scored in the second phase. Goals scored away from home in the second phase.
If clubs remain tied after applying these criteria, final positions will be determined by a random draw.
Defending Champions Al-Ahly enters the second phase as the reigning Egyptian Premier League champion, having secured the 2023–2024 title—the 44th league title in the club’s history.
