According to the Confederation of African Football, The Egyptian Premier League is the highest-ranked professional football league in Africa, alongside the Moroccan Botola Pro, the Professionnelle 1, and the Vodacom Ligue 1 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many different sports are played and enjoyed in Egypt, including basketball and squash. Yet, football is by far the most popular sports activity in the country.
Egyptians enjoy watching and rooting for their favorite Egyptian football teams that competed in the highest-ranked Egyptian Premier League. The Egyptian national football team competes in many different international football tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. The Egyptian national football team won seven African Cup of Nations titles which makes it’s the most successful team.
The Egyptian national football team also competed in the All-Africa Games tournaments, Afro-Asian Cup of Nations, and Nile Basin Tournament. When it comes to the Egyptian Premier League, Zamalek Sporting Club and Al Ahly Sporting Club remain the most successful.
All About the Egyptian Premier League
Like other renowned betting sites, Egyptian sportsbooks offer fans of football many different options. Joining top Egyptian sportsbooks will let you place bets on your favorite teams in the Egyptian Premier League. If you are looking for safe and reliable online betting sites, make sure you check out the best Egyptian options reviewed here.
This leads us to the highest-ranked professional football league in the country. The Egyptian Premier League was founded on the 22nd of October in 1948. Besides covering all Egyptian Premier League matches, Egyptian betting sites also cover the Egyptian Second Division. As of today, eighteen teams competed in the EPL which is also called the WE Egyptian Premier League (WE EPL).
Like many other professional football leagues, the EPL relies on a relegation and promotion system with the lower-tier Egyptian Second Division. In the top-ranked professional football league in Egypt, seasonal matches are usually played from August to May.
Since 1948 when the league was founded, seventy different teams have competed. With forty-two EPL titles, Al Ahly is the most successful team. Other teams who have won EPL titles are Al Mokawloon Al Arab, Zamalek, Tersana, Olympic Club, Ismaily, and Ghazi El Mahalla.
- Al Ahly: 42 EPL Wins
- Zamalek: 13 EPL Wins
- Ismaily: 3 EPL Wins
- Tersana 1 EPL Win
- Ghazi El Mahalla; 1 EPL Win
- El Olympic: 1 EPL Win
- Al Mokawloon: 1 EPL Win
When compared to other professional football leagues in Africa, the Egyptian Premier League ranks third in terms of popularity. According to this report, on average around 28,500 football fans gather to watch matches played at the Cairo Military Academy Stadium.
Several years back, the EPL was one of the professional football leagues in Africa with the highest stadium attendance on average. In 2012, in a match between Al Ahly and Al Masry played at the Port Said Stadium, seventy-four people lost their lives in the infamous Port Said Stadium riot. Between 2012 and 2017, all EPL matches were played without spectators.
The Egyptian Premier League 2021/2022 Season and Current Standing
As most fans of online betting in Egypt are familiar with, the 2021/2022 EPL season kicked off on the 25th of October 2021 and it will last until August 2022.
In the sixty-third EPL edition, Zamalek is the defending champion as the team won its thirteenth title the previous season. One hundred and eleven matches will be played. At the moment, the first-placed team is Al Ahly with twenty-eight points, nine wins, one draw, and no losses.
The Pyramids team is second-placed with twenty-six points, eight wins, two draws, and one loss, followed by Zamalek with twenty-five points, eight wins, one draw, and two losses. The Smouha team is fourth-placed with twenty-three points, six wins, five draws, and two losses.
With nineteen points, Future is fifth-placed with five wins, four draws, and four losses, followed by National Bank with eighteen points, five wins, three draws, and five losses. Pharco, Al Masry, ENPPI, and Ceramica Cleopatra are also in the top ten at the moment. The top ten first placed teams in the EPL at the moment are:
- Al Ahly: 28 Points
- Pyramids: 26 Points
- Zamalek: 25 Points
- Smouha: 23 Points
- Future: 19 Points
- National Bank: 18 Points
- Pharco: 17 Points
- Al Masry: 16 Points
- ENPPI: 15 Points
- Ceramica Cleopatra: 14 Points
The Most Anticipated Egyptian Premier League Derby Matches
All renowned Egyptian betting sites cover the Cairo Derby which remains the most anticipated derby match in the league. The Cairo Derby is played between two teams based in Cairo, Zamalek and Al Ahly.
These are the two most successful EPL teams, so there is no wonder why their matches are the highlight of every EPL season. The two teams usually meet one or two times during one season. Both compete in the Egypt Cup and their matches are among the most anticipated ones.
Al Ahly was founded in 1907, while Zamalek has been around since 1911. The rivalry between the two teams has existed since their creation. The teams played their last match on the 11th of November 2021. Al Ahly won with five goals. Mostafa Fatihi, Ahmed Sayed, and Ancraf Bencharki were goal scorers for the team Zamalek. Aside from that match played in November, the two teams will not play against each other for the rest of the regular season.
However, Zamalek meets with the currently second-placed Pyramids on the 6th of April and this is definitely one of the most anticipated derby matches. On the 1st of May, Zamalek plays against Al Masry, and Egyptian betting sites will offer quite competitive betting odds when the time comes.
Speaking of the most anticipated derby matches in the Egyptian Premier League, we also have to mention a match between Al Ahly and ENPPI scheduled for the 19th of April. Al Ahly also meets Al Masry on the 9th of April.
