Officially: Zamalek and Pyramids participate in the Champions League, while Al Ahly and ZED join the Confederation Cup

The Egyptian Football Association has approved the participation of Egyptian clubs in the 2026-2027 CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup tournaments. Al Ahly and ZED will compete in the CAF Confederation Cup, while Zamalek and Pyramids will participate in the CAF Champions League.

According to the domestic regulations, Zamalek qualifies for the CAF Champions League as champions of last season’s league, and Pyramids as runners-up.

In the CAF Confederation Cup, Al Ahly qualifies as the third-placed team from last season’s league, while ZED qualifies as runners-up in the previous edition of the Egyptian Cup. The regulations stipulate that the cup winner and the league’s third-place team participate in the Confederation Cup. However, since Pyramids, the cup winners, are participating in the CAF Champions League as league runners-up, ZED takes their place in the Confederation Cup as cup runners-up.

In a related development, Zamalek has completed all required procedures to obtain the CAF license. The club submitted the necessary documents and paperwork via the CAF online platform before the deadline. The Egyptian Football Association has also approved the file submitted by the club, allowing Zamalek to pass the domestic stage of the licensing process.

Despite the Egyptian FA’s approval of the submitted documents, Zamalek’s participation in the African competitions for the new season remains subject to final approval from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the competent authority for issuing the license officially.

In parallel, the Council adopted several important decisions, including the formation of a committee comprising Khaled El-Dardery, Tarek Aboul Enein, and Hamada El-Sherbiny to determine the terms of contract renewal for Hossam Hassan, head coach of the Egyptian national team. The committee will present its findings to Egyptian FA President Eng. Hany Abo Rida. Additionally, the Council appointed Shokri Soliman as the technical director of the Egyptian FA for the coming period, and named Essam Abdel Fattah as the head of the Referees Committee for the 2026-2027 sports season.

The Council also approved a comprehensive program to support popular and grassroots clubs across various governorates, with a total value of 70 million Egyptian pounds. This initiative is part of the Egyptian FA’s strategy to strengthen the base of Egyptian football, support clubs with strong fan bases and historical significance, and stimulate competition across various tournaments.