Following an official announcement on Saturday by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) concerning the clubs that will represent Egypt in continental competitions for the 2026-27 season, the door has been effectively closed on hopes of Egypt being allowed more teams, and of having Ahly move up a notch at the continental level.
According to a statement issued Sunday by the EFA, Zamalek and Pyramids FC will compete in the Champions League while Ahly and ZED FC are set to feature in the Confederation Cup.
The EFA had submitted a formal request to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to increase the number of clubs permitted to compete in the Champions League and Confederation Cup, the two biggest football club tournaments on the continent.
The statement urged CAF to grant every member federation an additional slot in both competitions instead of two each.
Should CAF have approved the change, elite associations would have seen their quota climb to three clubs in each tournament.
Were CAF to have given the EFA’s proposal the green light, powerhouse club Ahly could also have been promoted into the Champions League bracket instead of the Confederation Cup.
But CAF failed to take a decision. Asked at a recent press conference about the possibility of increasing the number of clubs in the CAF Champions League, CAF President Patrice Motsepe said “when we receive any request, we study it with the senior and specialised bodies within CAF.
“This decision has been looked into, but these kinds of decisions must obtain approval from the senior bodies, and they are studying this file,” Motsepe said.
Reports say the initial response from CAF committees favoured maintaining the current slot allocation rules.
As such, the schedule will remain unchanged. CAF announced the match calendar for the 2026-27 editions of the Champions League and Confederation Cup, with the preliminary rounds set to begin this September.
The first preliminary round will kick off with first-leg matches from 4-6 September, followed by the return legs on 11-13 September.
The second preliminary round will be played over two legs, with the first fixtures scheduled for 16-18 October and the return matches from 23-25 October.
The group stage of both competitions will begin at the end of November following the completion of the qualifying rounds, while the finals are scheduled to take place between 9 and 31 May 2027.
The EFA highlighted the strong performances of African federations at the recently-concluded World Cup as justification for expanding continental representation. Nine out of 10 African countries progressed to the knockout stages.
Egypt reached the round of 16 for the first time in their history, bowing out after a narrow 3-2 defeat against defending champions Argentina.
Supporters of an expansion argue that more representation for top-ranked nations rewards high performance and mirrors elite models in Europe. However, critics and smaller federations worry it widens the competitive and financial gap across the continent. They are also concerned that extra games will add pressure to already crowded local and international match calendars.
Zamalek will participate in Africa’s premier club competition as Egyptian Premier League champions while Pyramids FC qualified as league runners-up, making their fourth consecutive appearance in the Champions League.
Zamalek have won five Champions League crowns while Pyramids have won one, in the 2024-25 season.
Meanwhile, Ahly, who are the record holders with 12 Champions League titles, will participate in the Confederation Cup after finishing third in the domestic league standings last season. Ahly won the Confederation Cup in 2014, becoming the first Egyptian club to claim the title.
This is the first time ZED FC have qualified for an African continental competition. They earned their spot after finishing as runners-up in the Egypt Cup.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 30 July, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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