Ghazl El Mahalla to open Egyptian Premier League campaign at home to Pyramids

Ghazl El Mahalla will begin their Egyptian Premier League campaign with a home meeting against Pyramids on Saturday, 22 August, with the match scheduled for 20:00 at Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium.

The Egyptian Premier League is due to start on 21 August, with the first phase scheduled to conclude on 20 February. The second phase is set to begin on 8 March, while the season is expected to finish on 28 May.

That closing date could be revised if changes are required to the May schedule because of the finals of continental competitions, according to Taha Ezzat, chairman of the competitions committee.

Ghazl El Mahalla’s full fixture list for the opening phase is:

– Round one: Ghazl El Mahalla v Pyramids Saturday, 22 August, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round two: Modern v Ghazl El Mahalla Thursday, 27 August, Cairo International Stadium, 17:00 – Round three: Ghazl El Mahalla v Eastern Enppi Tuesday, 1 September, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 17:00 – Round four: National Bank of Egypt v Ghazl El Mahalla Monday, 7 September, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round five: Ghazl El Mahalla v Zamalek Wednesday, 16 September, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round six: Smouha v Ghazl El Mahalla Monday, 12 October, Borg El Arab Stadium, 20:00 – Round seven: Ghazl El Mahalla v Al Ittihad Tuesday, 20 October, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round eight: Abu Qir Fertilizers v Ghazl El Mahalla Saturday, 31 October, Alexandria Stadium, 17:00 – Round nine: Ghazl El Mahalla v Petrojet Wednesday, 25 November, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round 10: Ghazl El Mahalla v Al Ahly Thursday, 10 December, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round 11: Al Masry v Ghazl El Mahalla Wednesday, 16 December, New Suez Stadium, 20:00 – Round 12: Ghazl El Mahalla v Al Mokawloon Al Arab Tuesday, 22 December, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round 13: El Gouna v Ghazl El Mahalla Sunday, 27 December, Khaled Bichara Stadium, 17:00 – Round 14: Ghazl El Mahalla v ZED Tuesday, 5 January, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round 15: Wadi Degla v Ghazl El Mahalla Tuesday, 26 January, Al Salam Stadium, 20:00 – Round 16: Ghazl El Mahalla v Tala’ea El Gaish Monday, 1 February, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round 17: El Qanah v Ghazl El Mahalla Saturday, 6 February, Suez Canal Authority Stadium, 17:00 – Round 18: Ghazl El Mahalla v Ceramica Cleopatra Thursday, 11 February, Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium, 21:30 – Round 19: Asyut Petroleum v Ghazl El Mahalla Thursday, 18 February, Asyut Cement Stadium, 21:30

Competition format

The league will be played in two stages. The opening phase will consist of a single round-robin competition involving all 20 clubs, giving each team 19 matches.

At the end of that phase, the six highest-placed sides will move into a championship group to compete for the title. The teams finishing from seventh to 20th will enter a separate group, where they will battle to avoid relegation.

Clubs will carry their points from the first phase into the second phase. Each group will then be ranked independently and will play another single round-robin schedule.

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

The four teams ending the second-phase relegation group in the bottom positions will drop to the Professional League, Egypt’s second tier.