Pyramids will now move on to the next stage of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, the Challenger Cup. The African champions will face the winner of the clash between Mexico’s Cruz Azul and the yet-to-be-determined South American champions in the Qatari capital Doha for a place in the Intercontinental Cup final against PSG on 17 December.
The victory gave Pyramids their first International title, just months after lifting their maiden CAF Champions League crown. It also continued Egypt’s hold on the competition, with Ahly of Egypt winning the inaugural edition last year.
Pyramids, originally called Al Assiouty Sport in Assiut, was formed in 2008. The club was then moved to Cairo and was funded by Saudi and later UAE investors. They went on to claim their first Egypt Cup title in 2024, followed by the prestigious African Champions League in May, before making their way onto the international scene. They are making their debut in FIFA competitions.
The Pyramids match, played on Tuesday 23 September at a packed King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, saw Fiston Mayele score a sensational hat-trick. The Congolese forward opened the scoring in the 21st minute, firing a low shot past the goalkeeper after a clever pass from Ibrahim Toure.
Al Ahli hit back through Ivan Toney, who equalised from the penalty spot, but Pyramids restored their lead midway through the second half. Mahmoud Zalaka drove in a low cross for Mayele, who calmly slotted home in the 71st minute.
Just four minutes later, Mayele got his third goal with a powerful finish off the post to put the result beyond doubt.
In their first game in the tournament, Pyramids brushed aside Auckland with a comfortable 3-0 win over Auckland City at Cairo’s 30 June Stadium on Sunday night 23 September.
Walid Al Karti’s crisp finish on 14 minutes put Krunoslav Jurčić’s side in charge before second-half strikes from Marwan Hamdi (74) and substitute Mustafa “Ziko” (85) removed any doubt.
It was a professional night’s work from the Egyptians, who carried the greater threat throughout and rarely allowed the New Zealand Oceania champions a foothold.
The breakthrough arrived when Brazilian winger Ewerton bent over a teasing left-footed cross that broke kindly for Al-Karti to lash home, settling early nerves and lifting the volume inside the ground.
Pyramids thought they had doubled the lead before the half-hour when Mohamed Hamdi powered in a header, only for an offside flag to cut short the celebrations.
Auckland’s best—and only—clear opening came on the counter after the restart, Dylan Manickum racing clear but slicing wide when a cool head was needed.
That miss proved costly. With 16 minutes to play, Marwan Hamdi met a near-post delivery with a thumping header to make it 2–0 and effectively close the contest.
Ziko then pressed high, pinched possession from a tiring defence and curled an assured third into the far corner.
Pyramids FC coach Krunoslav Jurcic said he was “proud” of his players after the match.
“I am proud of the great performance the team delivered in front of such a massive Al Ahli Jeddah crowd,” Jurcic told a post-match press conference.
“Al Ahli have top-quality players, many with European experience, which makes me even prouder of my squad for working as a united group. I didn’t expect us to reach this level just two years ago,” he added.
Jurcic also praised his players for following his game plan. “I asked the players to control the tempo, keep possession, and seize every opportunity. They did exactly that, despite Al Ahli coming off a tough run of matches,” he said.
“I am very happy with the great win,” Mayele told Qatari channel Al-Kass on Wednesday. “What we did against Ahli Jeddah was so difficult, especially with the massive presence of their fans.”
The Intercontinental Cup, introduced in 2024 in Qatar, brings together the club champions from each of FIFA’s six confederations in a knockout format.
Paris Saint-Germain are automatically in the competition’s final as the spot is reserved for UEFA Champions League winners.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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