 | |
| Organising body | Egyptian Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 22 October 1948 |
| Country | Egypt |
| Confederation | CAF |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Egyptian Second Division A |
| Domestic cup(s) | |
| International cup(s) | CAF Champions League CAF Confederation Cup African Football League |
| Current champions | Al Ahly (44th title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Al Ahly (44 titles) |
| Most appearances | Mohamed Abdel Monsef (458) |
| Top goalscorer | Hassan El-Shazly (173) |
| TV partners | ONTime Sports and Time Sports (live matches and highlights) |
| Website | egyptianproleague.com |
| Current: 2024–25 Egyptian Premier League | |
The Egyptian Premier League (Arabic: الدوري المصري الممتاز), also known as the Nile League (Arabic: دوري النيل) 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.
The Egyptian Premier League was founded in 1948, unifying the local leagues that had existed previously. 70 clubs have competed in the league since its founding. Al Ahly have won the title 44 times, more than any other club. Their closest rivals, Zamalek, have won the league 14 times. Only five other clubs have won the league; those clubs are Ghazl El Mahalla, Ismaily, Al Mokawloon Al Arab, Olympic Club, and Tersana.
The Egyptian Premier League is one of the top national leagues, ranked second in Africa according to CAF's 5-year ranking for the 2022–23 season, based on performances in African competitions over the past five seasons. Egyptian teams have won the CAF Champions League a record 16 times, and Al Ahly was named the African Club of the Century by CAF.[1] Two clubs have also won the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Egyptian Premier League once had among highest average stadium attendance in Africa and the Middle East until the Port Said Stadium riot occurred on 1 February 2012 after a league match involving Al Masry and Al Ahly, where 74 people were killed and more than 500 were injured.[2] Since that date, all domestic football matches were played behind closed doors until 2017, when the local security authorities started to allow fans to attend selected matches with gradually increasing numbers starting from 100 attendance only and in 2021, the league started to welcome back thousands of supporters.
- ^ "Al-Ahly". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ James Legge (2013). "In pictures: Jubilation in Cairo, riots in Port Said". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2022.