Egypt Capital Cup final bans to begin in next edition, not league season

Mohamed El-Kholy, a member of the Egyptian Clubs Association, has confirmed that the disciplinary sanctions from the Egypt Capital Cup final will be served in the first match of next season’s competition, rather than in the opening round of the league.

El-Kholy announced the clarification on his official account on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, after sanctions were imposed on Aqtai Abdullah, who was playing for Enppi at the time, and on Al Masry supporters.

“The Capital Cup final penalty will be applied to the first match of the competition, not the first league match,” El-Kholy said.

Aqtai Abdullah, who now plays for Al Ahly, was suspended for one match after receiving his third yellow card. The midfielder will therefore be available for Al Ahly’s first league fixture of the season.

The supporters of Al Masry who attended the final were also banned from attending one match, while the club was fined 150,000 Egyptian pounds.

Those punishments will take effect when the next edition of the Egypt Capital Cup begins. Al Masry supporters will consequently be allowed to attend the club’s first league match, while Abdullah will also be eligible to play in the opening league fixture.

The clarification relates specifically to the competition in which the offences occurred. The sanctions will not be transferred to the league programme, meaning neither the player nor the supporters will miss the start of the new league campaign.

Egyptian league format

The Egyptian league will be played in two stages.

The opening phase will consist of a single round-robin competition involving all 20 teams. Each side will play 19 matches during that stage.

After the first phase, the six highest-placed clubs will move into a championship group to compete for the title. The remaining teams, from seventh to 20th, will enter a second group competing to avoid relegation.

Each club will carry the same number of points it collected during the opening phase into the final stage. The standings in the second phase will be determined separately within each group, and both groups will be 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 at the bottom of the table in the second group will be relegated to the Pro League, Egypt’s second tier.

The sanctions from the Egypt Capital Cup final will therefore remain attached to the next edition of that competition, while the league will begin with Abdullah available for Al Ahly and Al Masry supporters permitted to attend their club’s opening match.