Zamalek vs Al Ahly: Which is the best football team in Egypt?

Zamalek vs Al Ahly: Which is the best football team in Egypt?

Kenneth Mwenda
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:14 PM

Zamalek and Al Ahly are the strongest teams in the Egyptian Premier League, commonly known as the WE Egyptian Premier League (WE EPL). The teams are fierce competitors because they all come from the same city and have similar track records of success. Football fans and sports analysts are constantly debating which of the two teams is superior to the other or the greatest in the entire Egyptian League.

Zamalek vs Al Ahly: Which is the best football team in Egypt?
Egypt's Al-Ahly player Ali Maaloul (L) fights for the ball against Zamalek's Hazem Immam (R) during a match at the Cairo Stadium in the Egyptian capital on January 8, 2018. Photo: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP
Source: Getty Images

Al Ahly and Zamalek are arguably the two most successful clubs in Egypt and Africa. The two teams have both won the Egyptian Premier League and The Confederation of African Football (CAF) numerous times and have made history, especially after being crowned the best successful African teams in the 20th century. The Cairo Derby, which is contested twice a season, features the two teams in a fierce rivalry.

Zamalek vs Al Ahly football rivalry (The Cairo Derby)

Zamalek vs Al Ahly history
Zamalek fans during the football match between Al Ahly Tripoli during African Champions League (CAF) football match, at Borg el-Arab Stadium near Alexandria on July 9, 2017. PHOTO: AFP/ KHALED DESOUKI
Source: Getty Images

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When the Egyptian Premier League was originally established in the 1948–49 season, Al Ahly won their first league title. Since then, they have won 42 domestic league titles.

Zamalek managed to win the League 14 times and has won this derby twice with a 6-0 margin of victory, which is the greatest margin ever. The table below shows the overall head to head stats between the two teams.

Al Ahly wins

Draws

Zamalek wins

46

50

27

Fans of both clubs can be violent when in anger, which has always steered chaos and riots amongst the fans leading to fights, fatal injuries and even death in the worst cases. The number of fights has increased with the increasing popularity of their fanbases and the escalating rivalry. In 2018, World Soccer Magazine named the derby the tenth-most competitive derby in the world.

Zamalek football club history

Zamalek vs Al Ahly legends
Zamalek fans show their support during the Egypt Cup 2022 Final between Al Ahly and Zamalek at Cairo Stadium on July 21 2022, in Cairo, Egypt. Photo: Mohamed Abdel Hamid/Anadolu Agency
Source: Getty Images

Zamalek Sporting Club, also known as Zamalek, is a Giza-based sports organization in Egypt. It is one of the most prosperous football teams in Africa and the Middle East. Furthermore, in the 20th century, it won the most titles in African competitions.

It is ranked 2nd in winning the Egyptian League titles. Internationally, it has won five CAF Champions League titles, one CAF Confederation Cup title, four CAF Super Cup titles and one African Cup Winners' Cup title.

Zamalek vs Al Ahly: Which is the best football team in Egypt?
Zamalek club fans celebrate during a friendly football match against Atletico Madrid in Cairo on November 10 2011, to mark the 100th anniversary of Egypt's Zamalek. Photo: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP
Source: Getty Images

Zamalek has an ultras group called the Ultras White Knights that was established on 17th March 2007, and is well-known for its pyrotechnic displays regarding fan support. "Brotherhood in blood and fans of the free public club" is their motto. The Cairo International Stadium, Egypt's second-largest stadium with a seating capacity of roughly 75,000, is where the team plays its home matches.

Zamalek SC has also produced one of the best players to ever play in the League. Abdel Wahid El-Sayed is the player with the most championships and matches with the squad, and is their undisputable club legend with 423 appearances.

Another club legend is Abdel Halim Ali, who is the club's historical scorer and one of the club's most loyal and loving players, with 138 goals in 339 appearances with the Egyptian side.

Al Ahly football club history

Is Al Ahly better than Zamalek?
Al Ahly's goalkeeper holds the winner's trophy after the Final between Al Ahly and Raja Casablanca at Al Rayyan Stadium in Al Rayyan Qatar, on December 22, 2021. Photo: Mohammed Dabbous/Anadolu Agency
Source: Getty Images

Al Ahly Sporting Club is one of the most successful teams in Egypt and Africa, having dominated the Egyptian League and won the CAF many times. It has a record of 42 national league titles, 37 national cup titles and 11 national super cup titles.

When it comes to clubs' support by the fans, it has a large fan base of ultras named Ultras Ahlawy (abbreviated UA07), which are known for their pyrotechnic displays. "Together Forever" is the fans' motto, which is supposed to emphasize the bond between the group's members. The Ultras Ahlawy is comprised of college graduates, workers, and youth from all walks of life in Egypt.

With 512 appearances for the Egyptian champions, Hossam Ashour is one of the club's most enduring legends. To add to the list is their historical top goal scorer Mahmoud El Khatib who netted 157 goals in 275 matches. The team plays all its home matches at Al Ahly WE Al Salam Stadium, located in Cairo, and it has a capacity of 30,000 seats.

Which team has more fans, Zamalek or Al Ahly?

Zamalek vs Al Ahly: Which is the best football team in Egypt?
Fans of Egypt's Al-Ahly cheer for their team during their Egyptian League football match against rival club Zamalek in Cairo on June 29, 2011. PHOTO AFP / MOHAMED HOSSAM
Source: Getty Images

Football supporters not only add to the game's intrigue but also make it appealing and passionate. Fans always have a significant impact on the atmosphere before, during, and after football games. Due to the growing popularity of the Cairo Derby, mostly influenced by the intensifying rivalry of the fans, most sports fans would like to know which team between the two has the most fans.

According to the most recent study on the popularity of African football teams on social media, Al-Ahly is comfortably in first place with 33 million followers across all social media platforms. With 13 million followers, Zamalek SC comes in second. Al Ahly is listed as the top African team on the chart as a result.

The total number of trophies won between Zamalek vs Al Ahly in history.

Many medals have been won by both Zamalek and Al Ahly on the national and international levels. They have become known as one of the most successful teams on the continent thanks to their dominance of trophies in both Egypt and Africa.

These two clubs have the best all time squads, which have won all the trophies in each of the competitions they have ever participated in. The table below shows the number of trophies won by each team in all competitions.

Al Ahly

Competitions

Zamalek

42

Egyptian Premier League

14

37

Egypt Cup

28

11

Egyptian Super Cup

4

7

Sultan Hussein Cup

2

16

Cairo League

14

1

United Arab Republic Cup

0

1

Egyptian Confederation Cup

0

0

October League Cup

1

10

CAF Champions League

5

1

CAF Confederation Cup

1

8

CAF Super Cup

4

1

Afro-Asian Club Championship

2

4

African Cup Winners' Cup

1

1

Arab Club Champions Cup

1

1

Arab Cup Winners' Cup

0

2

Arab Super Cup

0

143

TOTAL

77

Is Al Ahly better than Zamalek SC?

Zamalek vs Al Ahly trophies
Al Ahly celebrates winning the trophy during the international friendly match between AS Roma and Al Ahly on May 20, 2016, in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Photo: Chris Whiteoak
Source: Getty Images

Each team aspires to be ranked as the superior team when playing against a close competitor in any game. The answer to this question relies on a lot of variables, but the most important indicators of success are the number of trophies each team has won individually, their record against rival teams and the size of their fan base.

In light of these elements, Al Ahly is unquestionably superior to Zamalek because it has more titles, a larger fan base, and more head-to-head victories over Zamalek. Derbies are among the most exciting and entertaining games to watch in any sport, not just football.

These local games have a special place in the hearts of fans and players, and everyone gives the best required of them so as to carry the day and maintain the pride of their teams. This explains why the Zamalek vs Al Ahly rivalry is so exciting to Egyptian football fanatics. Because of the competitiveness involved in these games, there may occasionally be mayhem and violence.

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Authors
Kenneth Mwenda photo
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a business and sports writer with over five years of experience. At Sportsbrief, he contributes to writing biographies and listicles.