Record champions Al Ahly SC missed out on qualifying for the CAF Champions League for the first time since 2003.
Al Ahly have had a tough season after starting the campaign with former Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro in the FIFA Club World Cup. The Club World Cup proved to be a huge factor as they didn’t have pre-season.
Things got worse when they were knocked out of the CAF Champions League in the quarter-finals by ES Tunis.
Having to play catch-up in the league, while both Zamalek SC and Pyramids FC pushed hard to end their dominance, made things difficult for the Red Devils under Jess Thorup.
Despite having a bad season, Al Ahly pushed for the league title and CAFCL spot until the last day; but they couldn’t make it as Zamalek won the title for the first time since the 2021/22 season, while Pyramids qualified for CAFCL for a fifth successive season.
Al Ahly last failed to qualify for the CAFCL via their league ranking in 2023, but then they qualified as defending champions. The Egyptian giants will now participate in the CAF Confederations Cup next season.