Football in Egypt | |
---|---|
Country | Egypt |
Governing body | Egyptian Football Association |
National team(s) | Men’s National Team |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Champions League CAF Confederation Cup Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup FIFA World Cup (National Team) Africa Cup of Nations (National Team) |
Football is the most popular sport in Egypt, many Egyptians gather around to watch various Egyptian clubs and the Egyptian national football team play on an almost daily basis. [1] [2] [3]
Al Ahly and Zamalek are amongst the most popular in the country, both of which are based in Cairo. Both teams compete in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest tier of Egyptian football. These two teams compete in the Cairo Derby.
Other notable teams include: Ismaily, Al-Masry, Al Ittihad and Pyramids FC.
The Egyptian Premier League (League A) has eighteen teams.[ citation needed ] There is no official English translation or title for the Egyptian League.[ citation needed ] Due to Sponsorships the official name of the league is the WE Premier League. The league was also called Vodafone Premier League back in the 2006/2007 for the same reasons.[ citation needed ]
Al-Ahly and Zamalek leaded the top six most popular football clubs on social media from Africa on 12 October 2022: [4]
# | Football club | Country | Followers |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Al-Ahly | Egypt | 33 million |
2 | Zamalek | Egypt | 22 million |
3 | Raja CA | Morocco | 7 million |
4 | Kaizer Chiefs | South Africa | 6 million |
5 | Orlando Pirates | South Africa | 4 million |
6 | Simba SC | Tanzania | 4 million |
The Egypt national football team, also known under the nickname of The Pharaohs, is, as their name states, the national team of Egypt and is administered by the Egyptian Football Association. The team was founded in 1921, [5] although a team had been fielded in the 1920 Summer Olympics. Egypt participated in the 1924 Olympics, and achieved the eighth place in the 1928 Olympics.
The team has won multiple cups over the years. They won the African Cup of Nations 7 times. Egypt won the inaugural Cup in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010, [6] making them record holders of most African cup wins and most wins in a row (for winning 3 times in a row).
Their highest FIFA ranking was in July 2010 where they were ranked 9th in the world, making it their greatest achievement. [5] They were the first from an African country and also, from an Arab country to participate in the World Cup when they played in 1934, [7] losing to Hungary 4-2.
Egypt played their second World Cup in 1990, where they didn't pass through the first stage after tying Ireland, Netherlands and losing to England 1-0 in what remains their last World Cup game.[ citation needed ]
Egypt Qualified for the 2018 World Cup which was the first time in 28 years. They were placed in Group A with hosts Russia, Uruguay and KSA. Egypt lost to Uruguay in the 90th minute and then lost 3-1 to Russia and scored the goal Mohamed Salah from a penalty in the last game against Saudi Arabia, Egypt lost 2-1 and scored the goal Mohamed Salah in the 22nd minute.[ citation needed ]
Egypt has a total of 27 football stadiums spread around the country. [8] The main stadium used to be Cairo International Stadium, but when the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria was built, it replaced it. The stadium has become the home stadium for the Egyptian National Team. This stadium carries a capacity of 86,000 which is great for all the fans who watch the Egyptian Premier League games. [9] The reason that this stadium was built was for Egypt's bid for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Egypt has hosted 5 African Cups in 1959, 1974, 1986, 2006 and 2019. The country also hosted the 1997 U-17 World Cup and the 2009 U-20 World Cup.
# | Stadium | Capacity | Location | Home Team | Opened |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New Administrative Capital Stadium | 93,940 | New Administrative Capital | Egypt football team | 2024 |
2 | Borg El Arab Stadium | 86,000 | Borg El Arab | Egypt football team & Al-Masry SC | 2007 |
3 | Cairo International Stadium | 75,000 | Cairo | Egypt football team & Al Ahly SC & Zamalek SC | 23 July 1960 |
4 | Egyptian Army Stadium | 45,000 | Suez | Petrojet FC | 2009 |
5 | Arab Contractors Stadium | 35,000 | Cairo | Al Mokawloon & FC Masr | 1979 |
6 | 30 June Stadium | 30,000 | Cairo | Wadi Degla SC | 2009 |
7 | Al-Salam Stadium | 30,000 | Cairo | El-Entag El-Harby SC | 2009 |
8 | Beni Ebeid Stadium | 30,000 | Bani Ebid | Beni Ebeid SC | |
The Egypt national football team, nicknamed "Pharaohs", represents Egypt in men's international football, and is governed by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), the governing body of football in Egypt.
Zamalek Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Al Zamalek, is an Egyptian sports club based in Giza, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team, which plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the top tier of the Egyptian football league system. The club is renowned for its consistent success at both domestic and continental levels.
The Cairo International Stadium, formerly known as Nasser Stadium, is an Olympic-standard, multi-use stadium with an all-seated capacity of 75,000. The architect of the stadium is the German Werner March, who had built from 1934 to 1936 the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The engineering and construction supervision of the stadium was performed by ACE Moharram Bakhoum. It is the 69th largest stadium in the world and the 3rd largest stadium in Egypt. Located in Nasr City; a suburb north east of Cairo, it was completed in 1960, and was inaugurated by President Gamal Abd El Nasser on 23 July that year, the eighth anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Zamalek and Al Ahly use the stadium for most of their home games.
Hassan Shehata is an Egyptian retired football manager and former professional football player. He played as a forward. As a manager, Shehata led Egypt to three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles, in 2006, 2008 and 2010. He was the first ever coach to win three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles. Shehata is one of only two coaches to win the Africa Cup three times, along with Ghana's Charles Gyamfi.
The Egyptian Premier League, also known as the Nile League for sponsorship purposes, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest division of Egyptian football league system. The league comprises 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Egyptian Second Division A. Seasons mostly run from August to May. Unlike most other leagues, games are played on all days of the week.
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Ismaily Sporting Club is an Egyptian professional football club, established on 20 March 1921 as El Nahda Sporting Club, based in Ismaïlia, Egypt. The club is best known for its football team. Also it's considered as an Egyptian National Club, where they helped the famous local tour of duty play for the benefit of the homeland against the occupying armies. The club's nickname The Brazilians, is a reference to their uniforms, which echo those of the Brazil national team, and similar style of play.
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Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly, known as Mohamed Salah or Mo Salah, is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a right winger or forward for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Egypt national team. Regarded as one of the best players of his generation and among the greatest African players of all time, he is known for his clinical finishing, dribbling and speed.
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