Egypt Capital Cup draw: Al Ahly and Zamalek head groups for 2026-27 season

The draw for the 2026-27 Egypt Capital Cup has placed Al Ahly in Group C and Zamalek in Group A, with the competition set to begin on 8 October.

The tournament will again use a group-stage format, as it did last season. Four groups were drawn, with the top two teams in each section progressing to the quarter-finals.

The four highest-placed teams in last season’s league campaign were seeded at the top of the groups.

The draw was:

Group A

– Zamalek – Wadi Degla – ZED – Al Ittihad Alexandria – Tala’ea El Gaish – Al Ittihad Alexandria

Group B

– Pyramids FC – Smouha – National Bank of Egypt – Modern Sport FC – Al Qanah

Group C

– Al Ahly – El Sharqia – ENPPI – El Gouna – Arab Contractors – Asyut Petroleum

Group D

– Al Masry – Ceramica Cleopatra – Suez – Petrojet – Ghazl El Mahalla – Abu Qir Fertilizers

The group stage will start on 8 October, with the opening round of matches scheduled for that date.

The knockout rounds will be played over two legs in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The source draw listing included Al Ittihad Alexandria twice in Group A, while Groups C and D each contained six listed teams.

Al Masry are the defending champions after beating ENPPI 3-0 in last season’s final. That result secured the club the title in the previous edition of the Egypt Capital Cup and set the benchmark for the teams entering the new campaign.

The competition will therefore begin with the same broad structure used last season: four groups, qualification for the leading two sides in each group and two-legged ties in the later knockout stages.

With the opening round scheduled for early October, the draw gives the leading clubs their first clear route towards the quarter-finals. Al Ahly, Zamalek, Pyramids FC and Al Masry were all placed at the head of their respective groups after finishing among the top four in the league last season.