CAIRO — The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has announced that the 2025–26 Egyptian Premier League season will now kick off on August 8, one week earlier than the originally planned date of August 15.
The decision — made in coordination with the Egyptian Professional Clubs Association and the national team’s coaching staff, led by head coach Hossam Hassan — aims to give clubs the opportunity to play three to five league rounds before players report for national team duty in September.
The move is designed to enhance player readiness ahead of Egypt’s critical FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Pharaohs are set to host Ethiopia and travel to face Burkina Faso in September during the fifth and sixth rounds of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Advancing the league’s start date also ensures the season concludes by May 2026, giving the national team valuable preparation time should they qualify for the World Cup.
This season will feature an expanded field of 21 clubs, following last year’s decision to cancel relegation.
The competition will follow a two-phase format: a single round-robin first stage, after which the table will split into two groups — one battling for the title and continental qualification spots, and the other fighting to avoid relegation.
At the end of the campaign, four teams from the relegation group will drop to the second division, while three clubs will be promoted, aiming to restore balance to the domestic competition.
In a related development, the EFA and club representatives agreed to maintain the foreign player quota at five per team, with an allowance for three under-19 players (born in 2005). The decision to cancel relegation last season was also reaffirmed in the latest meeting between the EFA and clubs.
The EFA reiterated its commitment to calendar discipline, noting that this marks the second consecutive season the league will conclude on schedule, aligning with top European leagues after years of inconsistent scheduling.
EFA President Hani Abou Rida, Clubs Association chief Ahmed Diab, and national team manager Hossam Hassan recently met to coordinate domestic fixtures with Egypt’s international calendar.
No June camp
The national team’s scheduled training camp in June was officially canceled due to a shortage of available players, most notably from Al-Ahly, who is preparing for their participation in the first-ever 32-team FIFA Club World Cup.
Fresh off winning a record-extending 45th Egyptian Premier League title — their third in a row — Al-Ahly will compete at the expanded tournament in the United States from June 15 to July 13, held across 11 American cities.
The Cairo giants will headline the tournament’s opening match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, June 15, as they compete in Group A alongside Inter Miami (USA), FC Porto (Portugal), and Palmeiras (Brazil).
Al-Ahly’s squad will depart Cairo on Wednesday, June 4, for a training camp in the United States.
They will fine-tune preparations with a high-profile friendly against Mexican side Pachuca on June 8 — a key tune-up ahead of the global tournament.
This revamped Club World Cup will feature 32 teams split into eight groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the Round of 16. All knockout stages will be single elimination.
Big ambitions
Al-Ahly enters the competition under new leadership, having appointed Spanish coach José Ribeiro on a two-year deal, ushering in a new era of ambition for the reigning African champions.
FIFA has confirmed a record-breaking $1 billion prize pool for the tournament. Each club will receive a share of a $525 million participation fund, with a further $475 million distributed based on performance.
The eventual champions could take home up to $125 million — a prize exceeding what recent FIFA World Cup winners have earned.
As Al-Ahly aims to leave their mark on the global stage, the Egyptian national team will continue its push for World Cup qualification, with an eye on the Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
