Egyptian Premier League 2026-27: Al Ahly and Zamalek drawn together in sixth round

The Egyptian Premier League will begin on 21 August, with the draw placing Al Ahly and Zamalek against each other in the sixth round of the competition. Their Cairo derby is scheduled for 11 October at Cairo International Stadium.

The draw for the opening round was completed on Wednesday, revealing the full fixture list for the first phase of the 2026-27 season.

The first phase will finish on 20 February, while the second phase is due to start on 8 March. The league is scheduled to conclude on 28 May, although that date could change because of the continental competitions’ finals, according to Taha Ezzat, chairman of the Competitions Committee.

Opening-round fixtures

The first round will be played across three days.

On Friday, 21 August, Wadi Degla will face ZED at Al Salam Stadium, while Abu Qir Fertilizers host National Bank of Egypt at Alexandria Stadium.

Zamalek begin their campaign against Al Ittihad Alexandria at Cairo International Stadium.

The fixtures on Saturday, 22 August, are:

– Tala’ea El Gaish v Al Mokawloon at the Air Defence Sports Authority Stadium – Asyut Petroleum v MS Al-Suez Petrojet at Asyut Cement Stadium – Ghazl El Mahalla v Pyramids at Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium – Al Masry v Smouha at New Suez Stadium

On Sunday, 23 August, El Gouna will play Modern Sport at Khaled بشارة Stadium, while Ceramica Cleopatra meet Al Qanah at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium.

Al Ahly’s opening match is against Eastern Company ENPPI at Cairo International Stadium.

Key fixtures

The first Cairo derby between Zamalek and Al Ahly will be staged on 11 October in round six, with Zamalek listed as the home side.

Al Ahly will then play Pyramids on 23 November in the ninth round. Pyramids’ meeting with Zamalek follows on 28 December, when the two sides will contest their round-13 fixture at Air Defence Stadium.

Competition format

The Egyptian Premier League will be contested in two phases by 20 teams.

During the first phase, each club will play 19 matches in a single round-robin format. At the end of that stage, the six highest-ranked teams will move into the championship group, where they will compete for the title.

The remaining 14 teams, placed from seventh to 20th, will enter the relegation group. Both groups will also be played over a single round.

Each team will carry forward the same number of points it collected during the first phase. However, the standings in the second phase will be determined separately within each group.

If two or more clubs finish level on points, their positions will be decided in accordance with Article 15 of the competition regulations.

The four clubs finishing at the bottom of the second-phase relegation group will be relegated to the lower division, the Professional League.