Egyptian media outlets have been circulating news in recent hours about a plan to cancel the Egyptian Premier League this season to allow the Egyptian national team more time to prepare for the 2026 World Cup.
The Egyptian Premier League has been experiencing significant turmoil over the past two years. Last season, relegation was canceled to prevent Ismaily from dropping to the second division. This resulted in an increase in the number of participating teams to 21, necessitating a new format to reduce the number of matches and prevent overlapping seasons.
It has been reported that Hossam Hassan, the Egyptian national team coach, is requesting more time to prepare for the 2026 World Cup. However, this luxury is not available due to the congested league schedule. Consequently, some clubs have begun calling for the cancellation of this season and an increase in the number of participating teams next season to 24 (with three teams promoted from the second division).
Mostafa Abu Zahra, a member of the Egyptian Football Association’s board of directors, was the first to respond, confirming that these rumors are baseless.
Following this, Hani Abu Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, emphasized that “no one dares” cancel the Egyptian league this season, and that the league will be completed and finish in mid-May as originally planned, without any changes.
The first round of the Egyptian league is nearing its end, after which the clubs will be divided into two groups. The first group will consist of the top seven teams, who will compete for the title, while the second group, from 9th to 24th place, will determine which four teams will be relegated to the second division.
