Who are Al Ahly?

Partner Authors Updated: 10 Jun 25 14:14

Al Ahly will feature at the Club World Cup in the United States and here you can read some key facts and stats about the Egyptian giants.

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Where are Al Ahly from?

Al Ahly Sporting Club are Egypt's most successful football club and they are based in Cairo.

Al Ahly play their home fixtures at the Cairo International Stadium, a 75,000-seater ground in the Nasr City area of the Egyptian capital.

History

Al Ahly were formed in 1907 as a sports club for high-school students in Cairo and the first formal football teams representing the club were fielded in 1911.

In 1918 they participated in the Sultan Hussein Cup for the first time, winning the competition on seven occasions between 1922/23 and 1937/38.

Al Ahly soon established themselves as the dominant force in Egyptian football and they won the first of their record tally of 45 Egyptian Premier League titles in 1948/49.

They have also lifted the Egypt Cup 39 times and are the most successful team in the history of the CAF Champions League, the most prestigious club competition in African football.

Al Ahly have won the CAF Champions League 12 times, putting them well clear of Egyptian rivals Zamalek and TP Mazembe of DR Congo, who have five titles apiece.

Nicknames

The Red Devil
The Red Giant
The National
The Club of Patriotism

Notable Players

Current Players

Former Zamalek midfielder Emam Ashour is one of Al Ahly's key attacking players, scoring 13 goals and contributing seven assists in the 2024/25 Egyptian Premier League.

He was signed from Danish club Midtjylland, while another of the club's main goal threats is former Denmark Under-20 international Wessam Abou Ali.

The captain of the side is veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy, who has won 64 international caps for Egypt.

Striker Nejc Gradisar, who scored on his Slovenia debut against the USA last year, is the only European player in the squad, although head coach Jose Riveiro comes from Spain.

One of Riveiro's most trusted players is 35-year-old Tunisian left-back Ali Maaloul, capped 89 times by his country at senior international level.

Despite playing in defence, Maaloul has scored more than 50 goals for the club and registered more assists than any other player in Al Ahly's history.

Since arriving in Cairo in 2016 he has won seven league titles and four CAF Champions Leagues.

He scored twice at the 2023 Club World Cup, sharing top-scorer honours with Manchester City's Julian Alvarez and Al-Ittihad's Karim Benzema.

Former Players

Forward Mohamed Aboutrika is an Al Ahly legend and he was named Egyptian Player of the Year four times in a row between 2005 and 2008.

He also won four African Inter-Club Player of the Year awards during his illustrious career with the Red Devil, for whom he scored 77 goals in 163 league appearances.

Mahmoud El Khatib, who played for Al Ahly from 1972 to 1988, and Hossam Hassan, who starred during the 1980s and 1990s, are the club's joint-record league scorers with 109 goals.

Defensive midfielder Hossam Ashour has made the most appearances for the Cairo giants, racking up 512 games between 2003 and 2020.

Midfielder Hossam Ghaly, who played for Tottenham and Derby between 2006 and 2009, had four separate spells at his boyhood club Al Ahly.

Former Aston Villa winger Trezeguet also started his career with the Red Devil, while Egypt international centre-back Mohamed Abdelmonem signed for Ligue 1 side Nice in the summer of 2024.

How did Al Ahly qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup?

Al Ahly are one of four teams from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) who will be appearing at the 2025 Club World Cup.

They are competing in the tournament for the 10th time and they have qualified thanks to their excellent record in the CAF Champions League.

Their Champions League triumphs in 2020/21, 2022/23 and 2023/24 earned them a place at the Club World Cup, where they will be joined by fellow CAF representatives Esperance de Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad AC.