Zamalek and Al Ahly to meet in Egyptian Premier League on 11 October

The first Egyptian Premier League meeting between Zamalek and Al Ahly in the 2026-27 season will take place on 11 October, after the league draw scheduled the Cairo derby for the sixth round.

The match will be played at Cairo Stadium, with the two most successful clubs in Egyptian football set to meet during the opening phase of the campaign.

Zamalek will begin their league programme against Al Ittihad Alexandria, while Al Ahly’s opening fixture will be against El Sharqia Enppi.

The 2026-27 Egyptian Premier League season is due to start on 21 August, with the first round of matches scheduled to finish on 20 February.

The second phase is expected to begin on 8 March, and the league is due to conclude on 28 May. That final date remains subject to any changes to the May schedule that may be required because of the finals of continental competitions.

Taha Ezzat, chairman of the competitions committee, disclosed the possible impact of the continental finals on the calendar.

Two-phase league format

The competition will be played in two stages, beginning with a single round-robin phase involving all 20 teams.

That opening phase will consist of 19 rounds, with each club playing every other side once.

At the end of the first phase, the six highest-ranked teams will move into a championship group to compete for the title. The remaining 14 clubs, occupying positions seventh to 20th, will enter a separate group where they will compete to avoid relegation.

Teams will carry their full points total from the first phase into the second stage. However, the standings in the final phase will be determined separately within each group, with both groups also played on a single round-robin basis.

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

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

The draw therefore provides an early date for the season’s most anticipated domestic fixture, while the structure means the eventual title race will be decided among the six clubs that perform best during the opening 19 rounds.

The Cairo Stadium meeting on 11 October will be the first league encounter of the season between Zamalek and Al Ahly. Both clubs will first have to negotiate their opening five rounds before the derby takes place in the sixth round.

The schedule was announced on Wednesday, 5 August 2026.