Eastern Company ENPPI to open Egyptian Premier League campaign against Al Ahly

Eastern Company ENPPI will begin their first Egyptian Premier League campaign since the merger of the two clubs with a difficult opening-day fixture against Al Ahly.

The league season is scheduled to start on 21 August, with the first phase concluding on 20 February. Eastern Company ENPPI’s opening match against Al Ahly will take place on Sunday, 23 August at Cairo International Stadium, with kick-off at 20:00.

The second phase is due to begin on 8 March and finish on 28 May, although the May schedule could be altered because of the dates of continental finals, according to Taha Ezzat, chairman of the competitions committee.

Eastern Company ENPPI’s first-phase fixtures are:

– Round one: Al Ahly v Eastern Company ENPPI, Sunday 23 August, Cairo International Stadium, 20:00 – Round two: Eastern Company ENPPI v Wadi Degla, Friday 28 August, Al Salam Stadium, 17:00 – Round three: Ghazl El Mahalla v Eastern Company ENPPI, Tuesday 1 September, El Mahalla Stadium, 17:00 – Round four: Eastern Company ENPPI v ZED, Wednesday 9 September, Al Salam Stadium, 20:00 – Round five: Eastern Company ENPPI v Pyramids, Wednesday 16 September, Al Salam Stadium, 20:00 – Round six: Modern Sport v Eastern Company ENPPI, Monday 12 October, Cairo International Stadium, 17:00 – Round seven: Eastern Company ENPPI v El Mokawloon El Arab, Monday 19 October, Al Salam Stadium, 20:00 – Round eight: El Qanah v Eastern Company ENPPI, Friday 30 October, Suez Canal Authority Stadium, 20:00 – Round nine: Eastern Company ENPPI v Ceramica Cleopatra, Wednesday 25 November, Al Salam Stadium, 20:00 – Round 10: Al Ittihad v Eastern Company ENPPI, Tuesday 8 December, Alexandria Stadium, 20:00 – Round 11: Eastern Company ENPPI v Tala’ea El Gaish, Wednesday 16 December, Al Salam Stadium, 20:00 – Round 12: Asyut Petroleum v Eastern Company ENPPI, Tuesday 22 December, Asyut Cement Stadium, 17:00 – Round 13: Eastern Company ENPPI v National Bank of Egypt, Sunday 27 December, Al Salam Stadium, 20:00 – Round 14: Petrojet v Eastern Company ENPPI, Tuesday 5 January, New Suez Stadium, 20:00 – Round 15: Eastern Company ENPPI v Al Masry, Wednesday 27 January, New Suez Stadium, 17:00 – Round 16: El Gouna v Eastern Company ENPPI, Sunday 31 January, Khaled Beshara Stadium, 17:00 – Round 17: Eastern Company ENPPI v Smouha, Thursday 4 February, Al Salam Stadium, 17:00 – Round 18: Zamalek v Eastern Company ENPPI, Thursday 11 February, Cairo International Stadium, 21:30 – Round 19: Eastern Company ENPPI v Abu Qir Fertilizers, Saturday 20 February, Al Salam Stadium, 21:30

The Egyptian Premier League will be played in two stages. The opening phase will use a single round-robin format, with the 20 teams playing a total of 19 matches each.

At the end of that phase, the six highest-ranked sides will enter the championship group to compete for the title. The teams finishing from seventh to 20th will move into the relegation group.

Each side will carry its points total from the first phase into the final stage. The standings in the second phase will be determined separately within each group, and the matches in both groups will also be played on a single round-robin basis.

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 relegation group will be relegated to the division below, the Professional League.