Sleeping giant Ismaily relegated after defeat by Wadi Degla

Ahram Online , Tuesday 12 May 2026

Former Egyptian champions Ismaily were relegated to the country’s second division for the first time since 1958 after a 2-1 defeat by Wadi Degla at Al Salam Stadium on Tuesday.

Photo: Official Ismaily SC Facebook Account

The Ismailia-based club, three-time league winners and one of only seven teams to have won the Egyptian title, became the first side to be relegated this season.

Ismaily are bottom of the table with 19 points, 11 behind Kahrabaa Ismailia, who sit just above the relegation zone. Under league regulations, four clubs will be relegated this season.

The club’s decline has been driven largely by a prolonged financial crisis that has left Ismaily struggling to compete with teams backed by state institutions and private companies.

Financial difficulties have also hindered the club’s ability to retain players and meet contractual obligations to players and coaches, leading to transfer bans imposed by FIFA.

As a result, Ismaily relied heavily on inexperienced youth players this season.

The club narrowly avoided relegation on several occasions in recent years and were reprieved last season after the Egyptian Pro League cancelled relegation.

But without resolving their financial problems, Ismaily endured a dismal campaign, winning only four of their 30 league matches.

Sleeping giant

Founded in 1924, Ismaily won their first league title in 1967 before becoming the first Egyptian club to win the African Cup of club champions in 1969, defeating TP Englebert, now known as TP Mazembe, in the final.

The club came close to a second continental title in 2002 but lost in the African Champions League final to Nigeria’s Enyimba.

Known as “The Dervishes”, Ismaily emerged as major rivals to Cairo giants Ahly and Zamalek, particularly during the 1990s, when they won their second league title in 1991.

They secured their third and most recent league crown in 2002 after a close title race with Ahly, and also lifted the Egypt Cup in 1997 and 2000.

Over the decades, the club produced some of Egypt’s most celebrated players, including Ali Abu Greisha, Emad Soliman, Mohamed Salah Abu Greisha, Mohamed Barakat, Hosni Abd Rabou and Ahmed Fathi.

Ismaily’s relegation is widely seen as a major blow to Egyptian football and to the football-loving city of Ismailia, with concerns growing over the declining presence of traditional fan-based clubs in the top flight.

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