Al Ahly return to Cairo ahead of Egyptian Premier League campaign

Al Ahly have returned to Cairo after completing their pre-season camp in Spain, where they were beaten 2-1 by FC Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy.

The Al Ahly delegation left Barcelona after Thursday’s friendly and arrived in the Egyptian capital in the morning as preparations continue for the new season.

The Egyptian Premier League begins on Friday, 21 August, with the first phase scheduled to conclude on 20 February. Al Ahly will open their campaign against El Sharqia Enppi on Sunday, 23 August, at Cairo International Stadium, with kick-off at 20:00.

Their first phase will finish with a meeting against Wadi Degla on Friday, 19 February. Al Ahly are due to play 13 of their 19 first-phase matches at Cairo International Stadium.

The second phase is scheduled to start on 8 March, with the league set to end on 28 May. That date could change if the May calendar is adjusted around the finals of continental competitions, according to Taha Ezzat, chairman of the competitions committee.

The league will be played in two phases. The opening phase consists of a single round-robin competition involving all 20 teams across 19 rounds.

At the end of that stage, the six highest-ranked sides will enter the championship group to compete for the title. The teams finishing from seventh to 20th will form the second group, which will contest the battle to avoid relegation.

Each team will carry forward the same number of points gained in the first phase. However, the standings in the final phase will be determined separately within each group, with the matches again played over a single round.

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 at the bottom of the second group will be relegated to the lower division, the Professional League.

Al Ahly’s first-phase schedule

– Round one: Al Ahly v El Sharqia Enppi Sunday, 23 August, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round two: ZED FC v Al Ahly Friday, 28 August, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round three: Al Ahly v Smouha SC Tuesday, 1 September, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round four: El Mokawloon SC v Al Ahly Wednesday, 9 September, El Mokawloon Stadium, 20:00 – Round five: Al Ahly v Abu Qir Fertilizers Tuesday, 15 September, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round six: Zamalek SC v Al Ahly Sunday, 11 October, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round seven: Al Ahly v El Qanah Wednesday, 21 October, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round eight: Modern Sport FC v Al Ahly Thursday, 29 October, Cairo International Stadium, 17:00 – Round nine: Al Ahly v Pyramids FC Monday, 23 November, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round 10: Ghazl El Mahalla v Al Ahly Thursday, 10 December, El Mahalla Stadium, 20:00 – Round 11: Al Ahly v Petrojet Tuesday, 15 December, Cairo International Stadium, 17:00 – Round 12: Ceramica Cleopatra v Al Ahly Thursday, 24 December, El Mokawloon Stadium, 20:00 – Round 13: Al Ahly v Al Ittihad Alexandria Tuesday, 29 December, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round 14: El Gouna v Al Ahly Tuesday, 5 January, Khalid Bichara Stadium, 17:00 – Round 15: Al Ahly v Petrojet Thursday, 28 January, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round 16: National Bank of Egypt SC v Al Ahly Monday, 1 February, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round 17: Al Ahly v Al Masry Saturday, 6 February, Borg El Arab Stadium, 20:00 – Round 18: Al Ahly v Tala’ea El Gaish Friday, 12 February, Cairo International Stadium, 21:30 – Round 19: Wadi Degla v Al Ahly Friday, 19 February, Al Salam Stadium, 21:30