Zamalek Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as Zamalek, is an
Egyptian Club based in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. The club is best known for its professional men's
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team, which plays in the
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League (), also known as the Nile League () for sponsorship reasons, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest level of the Egyptian football ...
, the top tier of the
Egyptian football league system
The Egyptian football league system refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system (league pyramid) for Football in Egypt, association football in Egypt. All divisions are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation. The ...
.
The club is renowned for its consistent success at both domestic and continental levels, regularly contending in
CAF tournaments.
Founded on 5 January 1911 as Cairo International Sports Club (Zamalek) colloquially El Qāhirah El Mokhtalat Club or El Mokhtalat Club, the club has traditionally worn a white home kit since its inception. They won their first championship title in 1913. The club is one of the most widely supported in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
and the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. Zamalek is credited to be the only
Egyptian
''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...
club to participate in the
Sultan Hussein Cup
The Sultan Hussein Cup (1917–1938) was the first local Egyptian football competition. It preceded the Egypt Cup and the regional leagues in the areas of Cairo, Alexandria, Bahary and Canal
Canals or artificial waterways are wat ...
as a sign of resistance to the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
presence in Egypt and a way to display the Egyptian presence in the
sport
Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
. The club reached the final of the first edition in 1917 and this encouraged other Egyptian clubs to participate. In 1941, the club was granted the
honorific title after
Farouk I and became officially known as Farouk El Awal Club (), however, since the 1910s, Zamalek was the club's unofficial name and it became official after the
1952 Egyptian revolution
The Egyptian revolution of 1952, also known as the 1952 coup d'état () and the 23 July Revolution (), was a period of profound political, economic, and societal change in Egypt. On 23 July 1952, the revolution began with the toppling of King ...
.
Domestically, Zamalek established itself as a major force in
Egyptian football since the 1920s, as it is the first Egyptian team to ever win a title. Zamalek is the first Egyptian club to win
Sultan Hussein Cup
The Sultan Hussein Cup (1917–1938) was the first local Egyptian football competition. It preceded the Egypt Cup and the regional leagues in the areas of Cairo, Alexandria, Bahary and Canal
Canals or artificial waterways are wat ...
in
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil.
** The Spanish lin ...
, and the first club to win the
Egypt Cup
The Egypt Cup (also known as the Egyptian FA Cup and formerly as the King Farouk Cup) is the main knockout football cup competition in Egypt. It is the oldest club competition in Africa. The first team to win the trophy was Zamalek in 1922. Al A ...
in
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
; and the first club to win the
Cairo League in
1922–23. In domestic football, the club has won 14 Egyptian Premier League titles, 29 Egypt Cup titles, 4
Egyptian Super Cup
The Egyptian Super Cup is Football in Egypt, Egyptian football's annual match contested between the champions of the Egyptian Premier League season and the holders of the Egypt Cup. If the Egyptian Premier League champions also won the Egypt Cup ...
titles, 14 Cairo League titles, 2 Sultan Hussein Cup titles, and a record of one title for each of the
October League Cup,
Egyptian Friendship Cup
Egyptian Friendship Cup, is an Egyptian official football tournament. It was organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Egyptian Football Association. The tournament was held once in 1986. It was launched for fundraising for the ...
and Egyptian Confederation Cup. It is one of two clubs that have played in every season of the
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League (), also known as the Nile League () for sponsorship reasons, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest level of the Egyptian football ...
, and one of seven that have never been relegated to the
Egyptian Second Division
The Egyptian Second Division () was an Egyptian semi-professional football league representing the second tier of the Egyptian football league system until 2023. It was administered by the Egyptian Football Association. It was below the top profes ...
.
At the international level, Zamalek is the
most successful African football club of the 20th century (gaining 9 titles versus 7 for their closest rival), and one of the
most successful clubs in the world. That have won five
CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...
titles, two
CAF Confederation Cup
The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football football team, club competition established in 2004 and organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF ...
titles, five
CAF Super Cup
The CAF Super Cup, known as TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual African association football competition contested between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. The competition was f ...
titles and one
African Cup Winners' Cup
The African Cup Winners' Cup was a football competition that started in 1975 and merged with the CAF Cup in 2004 to form the CAF Confederation Cup. It was a competition between the winning clubs of domestic cups in CAF-affiliated nations and w ...
title. It is also the first Egyptian team ever to win the
CAF Super Cup
The CAF Super Cup, known as TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual African association football competition contested between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. The competition was f ...
in
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
. Zamalek is also considered the Club of the Afro-Asian Century, it was the first Egyptian team to participate in and win the
Afro-Asian Cup in
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
; and holds the record for most participations (1987, 1994, and 1997) and most titles after winning it a second time in
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
. Zamalek is also the first Egyptian team to ever qualify for the
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
when they qualified in 2000 to the 2001 championship, despite the cancellation of the championship later on. Zamalek is regularly contending in
CAF tournaments and is one of the most successful clubs in Africa.
History
Early years (1911–1915)

The writer Ibrahim Allam Juhaina mentions the story of the founding of the Zamalek Sporting Club in the
Al-Ahram
''Al-Ahram'' (; ), founded on 5 August 1876, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second-oldest after '' Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya'' (''The Egyptian Events'', founded 1828). It is majority owned by the Egyptian governm ...
issue issued on February 12, 1927. The idea of establishing the club began in one of the Santi buildings in Ezbekieh garden. After a short period, around 1911, the idea grew until they acquired land for the club. It was the water company’s land on Boulak Street, Fuad I Street after that, and 26th of July Street now. Juhayna mentions that most of the club’s writings were published in French, and in the first years there was no general assembly, no fixed bodies, and no applicable law.
''Le phare d'Alexandria'' newspaper reported in its issue of October 24, 1912 that the club was called Cairo International Sports Club, contrary to what is commonly known in modern sources that the club was called Qasr El Nil at that time, and the club was interested in organizing car races between
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
and
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
. It also reported that
Ahmed Zaki Pasha, Secretary of the
Egyptian Cabinet, was a board member of the club, and that the club board members included Kramer, Bianchi, Morel, Bouchet, Guy, Deputy Director of the Financial Secretariat, and Manhi. Same reported in the next issues of October 25 and 26, 1912. ''Aegytische Nachrichten'' newspaper reported in its issue of October 26, 1912 that the club was named Cairo International Sports Club.
Ahmed Zaki Pasha, Secretary of the
Egyptian Cabinet, mentions in his book A Journey between Cairo and Alexandria on November 2, 1912, in his book published in French, that the club was called C.I.S.C, and the club’s president at that time was Antoine Bianchi, contrary to what is reported in modern sources that
George Merzbach
George Sigismond Charles Stanislas Merzbach Bey (25 September 1874 – 17 February 1928) was a Belgian lawyer and sports pioneer. He was the head of one of the Mixed Courts of Egypt. In 1911, he founded and became the first president of Egyptia ...
was the club’s president from 1911 to 1915. The French newspaper ''La Revue Aerienne'' mentioned in its issue published on November 10, 1912, that the Cairo International Sports Club (C.I.S.C) published a monthly magazine called ''Les Sports''. The newspaper was founded, as mentioned in the book ''The Development of the Egyptian Press 1798 – 1951'' by Ibrahim Abdo in 1912.
The ''Aegytische Nachrichten'' newspaper reported in its issue of December 11, 1912 that the Cairo International Sports Club issued its first weekly newspaper under the name ''Cairo Sports'' on Saturday, December 11, 1912. The news was concerned with the
Ministry of Labor's approval to allow the club to work on adding signs on all the Cairo-Alexandria Road. The ministry only wanted a preliminary sample. Zamalek (C.I.S.C) participated in the International Union's championships(El Mokhtalat union's), and ''Le phare d'Alexandria'' newspaper reported that they won the second edition of the ''Bolanchi Challenge Cup'' on December 28, 1913 after defeating the Greek team (who won the Alexandria qualifiers) by a score of 6–0. The match was played at the Zamalek's stadium in
Bulaq
Boulaq ( from "guard, customs post"), is a district of Cairo, in Egypt. It neighbours Downtown Cairo, Azbakeya, and the River Nile.
History
The westward shift of the Nile, especially between 1050 and 1350, made land available on its eastern si ...
. Zamalek's
starting lineup
In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as ''starters'', whereas the others are substitutes or b ...
included;
Tawfik Abdullah, Soufi, Saeed, Williams, Gamal, Songhurst, Khorazati, Lyon, Southon, and Arangi. The match started at 3:07 p.m., Lyon scored the first goal in the ninth minute, and Khorazati scored the second goal in the 28th minute, and Khorazati scored two goals in the second half. Before reaching the final match, Zamalek played at home with the Italian Brotherhood team on November 23, 1913, and played with the same team on November 30, 1913.
Egyptianization and unprecedented success (1915–1941)
In 1915, Ibrahim Allam "Juhainah" moved to the club with his football team, coming from
El Sekka El Hadid SC. Zamalek was the first Egyptian team to play against foreign teams. In 1916, they defeated the
Scottish Horse by a score of 1–0. In 1917, Zamalek had the legacy of participating as the first and only Egyptian football club in
Sultan Hussein Cup
The Sultan Hussein Cup (1917–1938) was the first local Egyptian football competition. It preceded the Egypt Cup and the regional leagues in the areas of Cairo, Alexandria, Bahary and Canal
Canals or artificial waterways are wat ...
, the first official football competition in Egypt. Zamalek played great matches and reached the final match against the English GHQ Signals team, the first champion of the competition. The championship was managed by the Egyptian Ibrahim Allam and was organized under the auspices of the
Sultan of Egypt
Sultan of Egypt was the status held by the rulers of Egypt after the establishment of the Ayyubid dynasty of Saladin in 1174 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Though the extent of the Egyptian Sultanate ebbed and flowed, it generally ...
Hussein Kamel. After Zamalek's historic first season, many Egyptian clubs announced their desire to participate in the competition as they found it serious, official, bearing the name of the country's sultan, and includes a trophy for the winning team. Zamalek's team in the 1910s included
Tewfik Abdullah,
Gamil Osman,
Fouad Gamil,
Ali El-Hassani, Abdel Salam Hamdy and Ahmed Kholousi.
In 1917, Ibrahim Allam and the Egyptian members of the club began their revolution to nationalize the club and remove the foreigners from the club's board of directors which mainly consisted of members of the Belgian and French communities. It started with informing the authorities that the club did not have a general assembly for three years, the club records are illegally kept with the club secretary, and have not been legally audited. Allam also put the club under the protection of 17–20 men from
Bulaq
Boulaq ( from "guard, customs post"), is a district of Cairo, in Egypt. It neighbours Downtown Cairo, Azbakeya, and the River Nile.
History
The westward shift of the Nile, especially between 1050 and 1350, made land available on its eastern si ...
, to preserve it and protect its Egyptian members. The
Ministry of Interior
An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement.
In some states, th ...
and some foreign embassies in Cairo interfered, but non-Egyptians were not allowed to enter the club. Finally Allam agreed to turn in the club to Mr. Bianchi in the presence of an official force from the police. The Egyptian members realized that it was important to gain a majority at the general members meeting. Accordingly, Allam and the Egyptian members called for an extraordinary general assembly for the club at Al-Shawarby Street.
A decision was made by the general assembly to withdraw confidence from the club's foreign board of directors and elect a new Egyptian board of directors. When the elections were held, the first Egyptian board was elected with Mohammad Badr as president, Mostafa Hassan as treasurer, Ibrahim Allam as General Secretary, and Nicola Arkaji, Mahmoud Bassyouni, Hussein Fawzy, and Abdo El Gabalawy as board members. In 1921, Zamalek won the
Sultan Hussein Cup
The Sultan Hussein Cup (1917–1938) was the first local Egyptian football competition. It preceded the Egypt Cup and the regional leagues in the areas of Cairo, Alexandria, Bahary and Canal
Canals or artificial waterways are wat ...
, becoming the first Egyptian team to ever win a title, after its victory over Britain's
Sherwood Foresters
The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...
by a score of 2–1 in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, the two winning goals were scored by
El-Sayed Abaza and
Hussein Hegazi.
In 1922, Zamalek won the first edition of the
Egypt Cup
The Egypt Cup (also known as the Egyptian FA Cup and formerly as the King Farouk Cup) is the main knockout football cup competition in Egypt. It is the oldest club competition in Africa. The first team to win the trophy was Zamalek in 1922. Al A ...
and two weeks later won the Sultan Hussein Cup for the second time, after winning Sherwood Foresters in the final by a score of 3–1. Also in 1922, the
Cairo League was launched, and Zamalek won its first title in 1922. Besides
Hussein Hegazi, the club managed to create a new generation of talented players such as;
Ali Riadh,
Ibrahim Yakan,
El-Sayed Abaza, Mahmoud Marei and
Ali El-Hassani. This team won several titles for Zamalek in the 1920s. They defeated the English Stars 3–0 in 1922. On 5 January 1923, Zamalek won the friendly contest against
Al Ahly
Al-Ahly Sporting Club (), commonly known as Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian professional sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team which currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest ...
by a score of 5–0, goals scored by Ali Riadh, Hussein Hegazi and Sadek Fahmy (three goals), the first player to score a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
in the
Cairo derby.
After the first board, a new saif in 1923 was formed with
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Mohammed Haidar Pasha as president and Youssef Mohamad as secretary. The new board of directors held its first meeting and decided to continue the fight. They informed the authorities of the missing club records. As a result, no general members' meetings were held for the next few years and later, Mr. Shoudoi, the Belgian club secretary was summoned and agreed to turn in the club records. Mohammed Haider Pasha is the fourth president of Zamalek Sporting Club and the longest serving president in its history and managed the club for almost three decades.
Haider Pasha served as
Minister of War
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
in the coalition ministry headed by
Hussein Sirri Pasha in 1946, and remained in office until 1952. Haider Pasha remained
Commander-in-Chief of the
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...
by royal decree, regardless of successive governments, due to
King Farouk's insistence on him remaining in his position. Zamalek's strongman also assumed the presidency of the
Egyptian Football Association
The Egyptian Football Association () is the governing body of association football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of the CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction over the Egyptian football league system and is responsible for ...
in 1937 and continued to chair successive boards every two years until 1944.
Fouad Serageddin Pasha assumed the presidency of the association and Haidar Pasha returned again as president from 1945 to 1952. During his 29-year career as Zamalek's president, Haidar pasha defended the Zamalek's rights and strengthened the club's position, and gave a political weight to the club with the
Royal Family
A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family.
The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...
and Egyptian public life. He assured that Zamalek's headquarters stay in El-Balloon Theater area in 1945, when the government wanted to move it to Haram Street, and he insisted that it must stay on the
Nile banks as a symbol of giving to the society.

In the winter of 1924, the club moved to a location on the west bank of the
River Nile
The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...
, and west of
Gezira island, and became known as the Cairo International Sports Club (C.I.S.C.)-Zamalek. The 1924 location is occupied by El-Balloon Theater today. Around that time Zamalek received the moniker "Qahir-al-Aganib" (the conqueror of foreigners) due to their many victories against renowned foreign teams. In several occasions in Egypt in the 1920s, the team beat foreign teams either in
friendly matches or official ones. This increased the popularity of the club and of the sport as a whole in Egypt especially that Egyptian teams such as Zamalek can beat the foreign teams. Zamalek finished as champions in the 1925
King Fouad Cup, for the first time.
In 1925, In continuation of their fame as "Qahir-al-Aganib" (the conqueror of foreigners), Zamalek played four friendly matches against
English clubs and won them all, the club defeated the English Howitzers by a score of 6–0, and the English Kings 2–1, and England's Coast Guards 1–0, and the English Wonders 4–1. In the 1923–24 Sultan Hussein Cup, Zamalek and Al Ahly had never met in the final, however, they played six matches in the tournament. Their first match was in the 1924 Sultan Hussein Cup's semifinal on 17 March 1924, the match finished in a 1–1 draw, in the rematch on 21 March, Zamalek won 2–0 and advanced to the final.
In 1928,
Hussein Hegazi, who is considered one of the founding fathers of
Egyptian football toured the country's
secondary school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
s to search for new players to join Zamalek, and with those students, Hegazi played against Al Ahly in the 1928–29 Cairo League and won. The students cheered on Al Ahly, and it was the first time that the name Zamalek was associated with the school's nickname, but the traditional chant was not born yet. Despite this, it was not completed until 1952, when Zamalek sold 20 trees for 1000
Egyptian pound
The Egyptian pound ( ; abbreviations: £, E£, £E, LE, or EGP in Latin alphabet, Latin, and in Arabic script, Arabic, ISO 4217, ISO code: EGP) is the official currency of Egypt. It is divided into 100 piastres, (or qirsh, ; ''plural'' ; abb ...
s and gave them to a contractor to build new stands for the
Helmy Zamora Stadium
Helmy Zamora Stadium, is a multi-use stadium in Giza, Egypt. The stadium was initially named in honor of Mohammed Hassan Helmy, Helmy Zamora, the former player and president of Zamalek.
It was then renamed in 2014 to Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stad ...
, the traditional chant was completed for the first time and it became, "Oh Zamalek, oh, school of play, art, and engineering".
On the occasion of the opening of the club's new headquarters, Zamalek played against the English Army Club on 7 October 1928, and won by a score of 1–0, and Zamalek also won on 23 October 1928, one of the British teams with a great score of 14–0. This match witnessed only three players from Zamalek scoring 14 goals, namely Gamal El-Prince, Hussein Hegazy, and
El-Sayed Abaza. Zamalek proved that they are "Qahir-al-Aganib" (the conqueror of foreigners). Zamalek won two consecutive Cairo League titles in the 1928–29 and 1929–30 seasons. The club managed to lead the league with the help of
Mohamed Latif,
Ismail Rafaat,
Hussein Hegazi and
Ali El-Hassani. After winning their second league title in 1928–29, Zamalek played a friendly game against
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team (, ) represents Hungary in men's international Association football, football, and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation. The team has made nine appearances in the FIFA World Cup, and five in the ...
and they won by a score of 2–1.
In the 1929–30 season, Zamalek won their second consecutive league title. In this season
Mostafa Taha was Zamalek's new rising star, Taha, who was just 19, in his second season with the club, scored his first goal in the
Cairo derby. He moved to Al Ahly for two seasons from 1931 to 1933 before returning to Zamalek in 1933. With Zamalek, he won seven Cairo League titles, five Egypt Cup titles and the King Fouad Cup for one time. He was a great goal scorer and he is Zamalek's
all-time top scorer in the Cairo derby with 12 goals, he scored over 100 goals for the team in all competitions. Taha retired as Zamalek's captain in 1945.
One of the unforgettable matches of the 1930s was the 1929–30 Sultan Hussein Cup semifinal, despite that the two belligerents failed to win this season's title, the match was of a high level of intensity and had much media attention. Zamalek faced Al Ahly in a purely Egyptian contest, in which Zamalek knocked Al Ahly out of the competition, after defeating them in the infamous Cairo derby with a score of 3–1, Zamalek's goals were scored by
Mohamed Latif and
Mostafa Taha (two goals), while Al Ahly's goal was scored by
Mahmoud Mokhtar El Tetsh.
In the 1930s, Zamalek achieved several titles, winning the
1931–32 Egypt Cup after defeating their rival, Al Ahly, with a score of 2–1, with goals from
Ismail Raafat and Said El-Hadary.
After the retirement of Zamalek's veteran striker
Hussein Hegazi in 1931, the club bought
Ali El-Hassani from Al Ahly for the third and last time, together El-Hassani with
Abdulrahman Fawzi who moved to Zamalek in 1934,
Mohamed Latif, Sayed Marei,
Ibrahim Halim,
Ahmed Salem, Ismail El-Samkari,
Helmy Zamora,
Hassan El Far and
Mostafa Taha managed to win the Cairo League title twice in the 1931–32 and 1933–34 seasons, and in the same year, Zamalek won the 1934
King Fouad Cup title for the second time.

In the
1934–35 Egypt Cup, Zamalek faced Cairo Police in the quarterfinals and won 2–0, played against
Al Ittihad in the semifinals and won 3–1, goals scored by
Mostafa Taha (two goals) and Sayed Marei. Zamalek won the cup after defeating Al Ahly in the final with a score of 3–0, goals scored by
Helmy Zamora, Sayed Marei and Ismail El-Samkari. On December 2, 1938, Hussein Labib scored the winning goal for Zamalek over Al Ahly in the
1938 Egypt Cup final rematch, announcing his team's victory after the two teams tied in the first match with a score of 1-1, Labib also scored his team's winning goal. In the 1939–40 Cairo League, Zamalek met their rivals; Al Ahly in the last match of the league on 29 March 1940 where they won with a score of 4–3, Zamalek goals scored by
Galal Keraitam,
Abdulrahman Fawzi (two goals) and Hussein Labib, and
Hussein Madkour (two goals), Salah Osman scored for Al Ahly. Zamalek won the 1939–40 Cairo League title for their sixth time finishing with 3 points ahead of Al Ahly.
Domestic dominance (1941–1952)

Zamalek started the 1940s with dominating all the major football tournaments in Egypt, this decade, Zamalek was growing as a sports, social and educational institution. Zamalek won the 1939–40 and 1940–41 Cairo League consecutively and the 1940
King Fouad Cup. With
Mohamed Latif still on the pitch as the team's captain and with the help of
Tewfik Abdullah, the head coach (Zamalek's forward in the 1920s), the team was unbeatable.
In the 1940–41 league's season, Zamalek achieved impressive results, they won eight matches out of ten, scoring five goals or more in five matches. Zamalek scored 37 goals and received only 9 goals. On 30 May 1941, Zamalek was supposed to face Al Ahly in the final match of the league, Zamalek was two points ahead of Ahly with goal difference of 28 compared to Ahly's 13, which means that Ahly needed to win with eight goals or more to win the title. Al Ahly withdrew and Zamalek played an exhibition match instead against
El Sekka on that day to celebrate the title. In 1941,
Farouk I,
King of Egypt and Sudan, who was himself a fan of Zamalek, bestowed the royal sponsorship on the club, and the club name was renamed to Nady Farouk El Awal (). Farouk was named the club's honorary president, and
Ismail Bek Chirine of Mohammed Ali's family took the post of vice president.
In 1944,
Mohammed Haidar Pasha persuaded
King Farouk to attend the
Egypt Cup final at the stadium and the King agreed. King Farouk was photographed while watching the
1944 Egypt Cup final, while Zamalek won Al Ahly by a score of 6–0 and won the cup. This period witnessed the biggest victories in the history of the
Cairo derby (contested with
Al Ahly
Al-Ahly Sporting Club (), commonly known as Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian professional sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team which currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest ...
), a pair of 6–0 wins for Zamalek in
1942 Cairo Derby for the
1941–42 Cairo League and 1944 Egypt Cup final. This record scoreline in the Cairo derby has not been broken since.
In this period, a new generation of talents emerged in Egypt, the majority were Zamalek players, such as;
Yehia Emam,
Hanafy Bastan,
Omar Shendi,
Zoklot,
Abdel-Karim Sakr, Halim Thalouth and Mohsen El-Sehaimi. Zamalek won the
Cairo League for five times in the 1940s; 1940–41, 1943–44, 1944–45, 1946–47 and
1948–49. Stability in the top management of the club helped to succeed and achieve subsequent titles. Mohammad Haider Pasha was on the head of the Zamalek's administration for nearly three decades. Several football players moved back and forth from Zamalek and Al Ahly, however, each team has its own style and football strategy. Even the team's lineup itself was stable enough for a whole decade.
Abdel-Karim Sakr, who moved from Al Ahly to Zamalek in 1939 in a record transfer, played for Zamalek for 14 seasons, scored over 100 goals for the club. Zamalek's management thought that bringing Sakr to the team would not only help improve the team's attacking ability but also stop him from scoring in Zamalek. Sakr was a prolific goal scorer and helped the team in the 1940s in winning several titles and winning as well the Cairo derby. Sakr is the only player who scored in both matches against Al Ahly that finished by a score of 6–0 for Zamalek in
1941–42 Cairo League and 1944 Egypt Cup final.
In 1948, the newly formed
Egyptian League was launched, Zamalek played against
Al Masry in the first match on October 22, and Zamalek won by a score of 5–1. The first goal in the history of the Egyptian League was scored by Zamalek's Mohamed Amin, and the first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
was scored by Zamalek's Saad Rustom. Despite not finishing the first two seasons in a good position in the league, Zamalek won the Cairo League for three consecutive seasons. In the
1948–49 Cairo League, Zamalek won the league with narrow margin. In the beginning of the 1950s, Zamalek won the Cairo League for three consecutive seasons; 1950–51, 1951–52 and 1952–53, tying with Al Ahly with 14 titles each. Zamalek finished runner-up in the
1950–51 Egyptian League, winning 11 matches and the champions; Al Ahly won 10, with both finishing with 25 points out of 18 matches, Zamalek lost the title to goal difference. In the
1952 Egypt Cup final, Zamalek defeated Al Ahly in the final with a score of 2–0,
Sharif El-Far scored the two goals, Zamalek won their 8th title.
Post-1952 period (1952–1960)
After the
1952 revolution
The Egyptian revolution of 1952, also known as the 1952 coup d'état () and the 23 July Revolution (), was a period of profound political, economic, and societal change in Egypt. On 23 July 1952, the revolution began with the toppling of King ...
, and on 18 August 1952, the club's president,
Mohammed Haidar Pasha, announced the change of the club's name to Zamalek, retrospectively starting July 23, after the area where the club was situated. Renamed after Egypt's Zamalek
Nile Island, one of the most prestigious areas of the capital and the word itself is an Egyptian-slang of the classical and standard Arabic word, (, ), meaning ''Preciously owned''. The club later moved for the last time to 26 July Street, and occupied an area of 35 acres (140,000 m
2) and hosted 24 different sports. A new board was formed with Mahmoud Shawky as president and secretary and
Mohammad Hassan Helmy as assistant secretary. At the time, the rules required that half the club board be changed every year, and Helmy took the position of secretary-general. In 1954, the stadium needed renovations, so the board sought a businessman to take over the club and guide the renovation. Abd El Hamid El-Shawarbi became the president, and although he was elected for a second period, he was not able to do the job he wanted. Mohammed Haidar Pasha and Hagg Sayed El Annany contributed to forming the VIP stands and the first-class stands, which happened while El Shawarbi was outside Egypt. When he returned, he resigned and the board continued after Shawky stepped up from his deputy position to continue till September 1955.
Businessman Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha became the club president in 1956. By 1956, the rules had been changed allowing the board to stay for three years. Shawky stepped down for Abo Regeila, although he was re-elected as a club president. Although Abu-Rajelha was re-elected for a second term, he had to leave Egypt after he lost money from the governmental policy of
nationalization
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English)
is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...
against private property. The club continued to search for another businessman, and chose Alwe El Gazzar, the owner of El Sheikh Sherieb Company and the president of the board of directors of
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It manufactures, sells and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Its stock is lis ...
in Egypt at this time.

Essam Baheeg was arguably Zamalek's most valuable player in the 1950s, and credit for his discovery in particular goes to
Mohammed Haidar Pasha, the club's president at the time, as Haider Pasha included him in 1949 in the youth team when he was 18 years old. Quickly, Baheeg was able to secure a distinguished position in the starting lineup for the first team and the
Egypt national football team
The Egypt national football team (), nicknamed Pharaohs (), represents Egypt in men's FIFA, international Association football, football, and is governed by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), the governing body of football in Egypt.
Egypt ...
as well, thanks to his talent and skills, and he gradually turned into an icon. Baheeg was known for his extreme loyalty and dedication to Zamalek, which increased his popularity among the club's fans and Egyptian football fans in general. He did not play for any other club throughout his 12-year football career, and is considered a symbol of the club throughout its history. Baheeg was a key player in the Egypt national football team and helped his country lift the
African Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...
trophy in
1959
Events
January
* January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
by scoring the two winning goals in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
against
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
. He became a head coach after retirement, and coached Zamalek in the 1980s for only one season and won four titles with the team.
This era saw the emergence of a new generation of players who besides their talents as footballers were known with their loyalty for Zamalek such as;
Essam Baheeg
Essam Baheeg (; 26 February 1931 – 4 December 2008) was an Egyptian football manager and former association football, footballer who played as a winger for Zamalek SC, Zamalek. He also played for the Egypt national football team, Egyptian nation ...
,
Alaa El-Hamouly,
Sharif El-Far,
Yaken Hussein,
Samir Qotb, and
Nour El-Dali. One of the fiercest Egyptian goal scorers of this era was Alaa El-Hamouly, he won with Zamalek seven titles of the Egypt Cup in his 13 seasons with the team, he is Zamalek's
all-time top scorer in the Egypt Cup with 23 goals, he is also Zamalek's
3rd all-time top scorer of the Cairo derby with 9 goals after
Mostafa Taha (12 goals) and
Abdel Karim Sakr (10 goals).
In 1959, Zamalek bought
Ali Mohsen, a
Yemeni
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the south-eastern part of the Arabian Sea to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south ...
striker, he scored two goals in the 3–2 win over
El Olympi in the
1960 Egypt Cup final and was the first non-Egyptian top scorer of the League's
1960–61 season. Zamalek won 6 titles of the Egypt Cup from 1952 to 1960, starting with
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
through
1955, followed by four consecutive titles in;
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
,
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
(shared),
1959
Events
January
* January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
and
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events January
* Janu ...
. The club won the Cairo League for 3 consecutive seasons; 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, the tournament was stopped til the final season of 1957–58 and it was defunct permanently.
Sustained success (1960–1984)
With the beginning of the 1960s, a new generation emerged in Zamalek and the Egyptian football, such as
Ahmed Rifaat,
Nabil Nosair,
Hamada Emam
Mohamed Yehia el-Horria Mohamed Emam (; 28 November 1943 – 9 January 2016), known as Hamada Emam (), was the Vice President of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and a former Egyptian football player. A prolific goal scorer, he scored ...
,
Raafat Attia,
Abdou Noshi,
Aldo Stella,
Ahmed Mostafa and
Mahmoud Abou-Regaila. This era was one of the first periods in which competitions and conflicts occurred between Zamalek and Al Ahly, due to a number of writers publishing articles that inflamed one party at the expense of the other. Al Ahly was then going through a difficult period in its history, and there were a large number of issues related to corruption that struck the Egyptian sports field, which were embodied by the journalist writer
Yusuf Sibai in one of his novels and several articles.
Abu Regeila was an Egyptian businessman and pioneer of public transport buses in Cairo. During his reign, the construction of the
Zamalek Stadium was completed in 1959, as well as the social building. Abu Regeila stayed in office as the club's official president until 1961.
Hamada Emam
Mohamed Yehia el-Horria Mohamed Emam (; 28 November 1943 – 9 January 2016), known as Hamada Emam (), was the Vice President of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and a former Egyptian football player. A prolific goal scorer, he scored ...
was a popular player of the club in this era who helped sustain the club's profile. In 1961, Zamalek invited
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
to play a friendly match in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
on the occasion of celebrating the
Golden Jubilee
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...
for the club's establishment, the match took place on March 10, 1961 at
Cairo Stadium. In 1962, there was a new board came to power with Hassan Amer as a president, emeritus deputy Mahmoud Shawky,
Mohamed Latif,
Galal Kereitam, Mahmoud Emam, and
Mahmoud Hafez, as board members. Amer remained as president until the
1967 War.
In 1966, Zamalek invited
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is a professional football club based in Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, having moved from their ...
to play in Cairo, West Ham were the title holders of the
1964–65 European Cup Winners. Zamalek made a phenomenal match and hammered the European champions with a score of 5–1, at a time when the English club was at the peak of its glory and playing in its ranks were six of the stars of the
England national team, headed by
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English professional footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA ...
. Hamada Emam scored a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
,
Taha Basry and Abdel-Karim El-Gohary scored the other two goals.
After the
1967 war, Zamalek hosted
Ismaily SC and
Al Masry SC
Al Masry Sporting Club () is an Egyptian sports club based in Port Said, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team that competes in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest tier of the Egyptian football league system.
...
clubs, as well as the other Suez Canal teams at its grounds. In 1967, Minister of Youth and Sports Talaat Khairy decided that the club boards would be appointed rather than elected, and Mohamed Hassan Helmy, popularly known as
Helmy Zamora, took over the presidency and was the first Egyptian sportsman to become a president of a club. He remained as president until July 1971 where the rules were changed to allow board elections again and to forbid anyone from being president if they had already held to presidency for two consecutive terms. Tawfeek El Kheshen took over the presidency and the honorary presidency was given to Mohamed Hassan Helmy.
In 1973,
Helmy Zamora was re-elected president. Helmy is one of the most famous figures of Zamalek. He joined Zamalek in 1934 as a player in the youth team, he played for 14 years in Zamalek. he won the Cairo League for six times and the Egypt Cup for five times. He was a member of the
Egypt national football team
The Egypt national football team (), nicknamed Pharaohs (), represents Egypt in men's FIFA, international Association football, football, and is governed by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), the governing body of football in Egypt.
Egypt ...
. After his retirement, he began his administrative work as a member of the Zamalek Football Committee in 1948, and four years later he was chosen as general secretary of the club in the first general assembly in Zamalek. Then he was appointed full-time director of the club in 1966, in the same year in which he was elected as board member. He held several administrative positions in the
Egyptian Football Association
The Egyptian Football Association () is the governing body of association football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of the CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction over the Egyptian football league system and is responsible for ...
, including his presidency of the Competitions Committee and the Technical Committee. In May 1978, he served as president of the Egyptian Football Association. Helmy served as Zamalek's president from 1967 through 1984, except a year in 1971–1972 of El-Kheshen. Helmy also held the position of the president of the
Egyptian Football Association
The Egyptian Football Association () is the governing body of association football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of the CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction over the Egyptian football league system and is responsible for ...
. He was primarily credited with establishing most of the facilities of the Zamalek Club. He was famous for his
volunteer work, as he refused any pay for his role in the club.

The 1970s football team was one of the best generations of football in Zamalek, and it included legendary players in the history of Egyptian and Arab football. This era's team included talented players such as
Taha Basry,
Hassan Shehata
Hassan Hassan Shehata (; born 19 June 1947) is an Egyptian retired association football, football manager and former professional football player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is considered as one of the best forwar ...
,
Ali Khalil,
Farouk Gaafar,
Ibrahim Youssef,
Mahmoud Saad and Mahmoud El-Khawaga. In the
1975 Egypt Cup final, which Zamalek played against
Ghazl El Mahalla, finished in a victory for Zamalek with a score of 1–0, Hassan Shehata scored the winning goal giving his team their 15th title and himself the 1st. Shehata and his colleagues led their team to the
1977–78 Egyptian Premier League title. Hassan Shehata is arguably one of the greatest footballers in
Egyptian football history. He is one of the icons of Zamalek throughout its long history. He was called the "Master" for his dribbling skills and goals. He was the Egyptian League
top scorer for two seasons in
1976–77 and 1979–80, he scored 108 goals for Zamalek. He was included in the Egypt national football team in 1969, where he played his first international match and since then, he was in the starting lineup until his retirement. Besides his honours with the club, Shehata won the
EFA Egyptian Player of the Year award in 1976, and was awarded the
Order of the Republic (first class) in 1980. Shehata worked as a head coach after his retirement, and as an Egypt's head coach, he won with the Egypt national football team three consecutive African Cup of Nations titles. Zamalek were still called "Qahir-al-Aganib" (the conqueror of foreigners), despite not playing against foreigners regularly. They met
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
on 21 December 1977 in a friendly match at the
Cairo Stadium, Zamalek succeeded in defeating the Bavarians with a score of 3–2, and goals scorers were Waheed Kamel, Mohamed Taher, and
Ali Khalil.
In the 1970s, several Zamalek players were football stars who can simply lead a team by themselves such as;
Ali Khalil, who started his football career in Zamalek's youth team in 1969, and played for the first team in 1971. Khalil spent his whole career with Zamalek. He was an outstanding goal scorer who scored 94 goals for Zamalek in 9 seasons. Khalil was one of Egypt's most popular players of the 1970s. In the
1976–77 Egypt Cup, Zamalek faced
Ismaily in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
and finished the match in their favor with a score of 3–1. Zamalek's goals were scored by Farouk Gaafar and Ali Khalil (two goals), Khalil was the cup's top scorer with 4 goals. He also scored in both in the
1979 Egypt Cup final. Nicknamed "Dangerous Ali", Khalil was the
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League (), also known as the Nile League () for sponsorship reasons, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest level of the Egyptian football ...
's
top scorer in 1976-77 and 1979–80 seasons. In the
1978–79 league season, Khalil had a famous incident of honesty and high integrity, when he scored an incorrect goal after he shot the ball which passed through the torn outer net and landed in the goal against
Ismaily in a famous match. Unfortunately, this goal was important for Zamalek in the chase for the league title, however he encountered the referee Ahmed Bilal, the referee of the match, and told him that the ball was not a goal, and the goal was canceled after it had been awarded amid major objections from the Ismaily players and fans.
In the same generation, the midfielder
Farouk Gaafar also started his youth career in Zamalek and spent his whole career with the club, was a rising star in the 1970s. He was a talented player with intelligence and incredible football skills that made him a great player in the squad and in the Egyptian national football team. Nicknamed the "King of Midfield", Gaafar was the first captain in history to lift the
African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1984.

In the same era
Taha Basry, the Egyptian "Eusebio", as media and audiences used to call him, who played in the 1960s, and after a spell in
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, returned to Zamalek in 1974 to become the captain of the team that won the league title in 1977–78 season and the cup title twice in 1975 and 1977.
Zamalek won the Egypt Cup for another two times in the 1970s, in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
and
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
. Besides the Egyptian Premier League trophy in the 1959–60 season. Zamalek won the Egyptian Premier League in 1963–64, 1964–65, 1977–78, and 1983–84. The club also won the
October League Cup, which is the tournament that was held as an alternative to the Egyptian Premier League after canceling the league due to the
1973 War and as Egypt was hosting the
1974 African Cup of Nations. Other trophies in this period include; 1963–64 Giza League, Friendship International Cup in 1970, Egyptian Television Cup (Defunct Egyptian Super Cup) in 1971 and 1982, and the Alexandria Summer League (Arabian competition) in 1982.
African Uprising (1984–2005)
Zamalek won the first African title in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
against Nigeria's
Shooting Stars after beating them in Cairo 2–0 and in Nigeria 0–1. In 1984, Amer became president, followed by Hassan Abo el Fetouh in 1988 until 1990. In 1986, Zamalek won the
1986 African Cup of Champions Clubs, achieving their second title. In 1987, Zamalek won the
Japanese side
Furukawa Electric in the
Afro-Asian Club Championship with
Effat Nssar and
Gamal Abdel-Hamid scoring the two goals, retaining the
1987 Afro-Asian Club Championship for the first time for an Egyptian club. In the
1987–88 season, Zamalek won the Egyptian League title with
Essam Baheeg
Essam Baheeg (; 26 February 1931 – 4 December 2008) was an Egyptian football manager and former association football, footballer who played as a winger for Zamalek SC, Zamalek. He also played for the Egypt national football team, Egyptian nation ...
as the team's coach.
Gamal Abdel-Hamid was the season's top scorer. He was a prolific goal scorer, and scored over 90 goals for Zamalek in his decade with the team. He is one of the
all-time top scorers of the
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League (), also known as the Nile League () for sponsorship reasons, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest level of the Egyptian football ...
. He was Egypt's captain in the
1990 World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...
. Abdel-Hamid is regarded as one of the best forwards in the history of
African football.
In 1990,
Galal Ibrahim became the temporary president of the club after Hassan Abo el Fetouh died in office, Ibrahim remained president until September 1990, when the general club meeting was held and
Nour El-Dali was elected president. In 1992, Galal Ibrahim became the new president. Je remained in office from 1992 to 1996, and the rules were changed to require that the vice treasurer be selected mostly by the board members;
Hamada Emam
Mohamed Yehia el-Horria Mohamed Emam (; 28 November 1943 – 9 January 2016), known as Hamada Emam (), was the Vice President of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and a former Egyptian football player. A prolific goal scorer, he scored ...
was selected by default to that position while
Abdel Hamid Shaheen was elected treasurer. The board members were Ahmed Shereen Fawzy, Mahmoud Marouf, Mohamad Fayez El Zummur, Raouf Gasser, and Tarek Ghonaim.
The new rules required the board to have two members under the age of 30; for these two spots, Samy Abo El Kheir and Ihab Ibrahim were elected. The members appointed by the high committee for youth and sports were Mohamad Amer, General Hanafy Reyad, and Farouk Abo El Nasr.
In 1993, Zamalek won the
1993 African Cup of Champions Clubs final after beating Ghanaian giants
Asante Kotoko
Asante Kotoko Sporting Club, simply known as Asante Kotoko, is a professional sports, professional association football, football club founded on 31 August 1935 and based in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Nicknamed the ''African crested ...
, followed by the
1994 African Super Cup, which was the first time in history to be with two Egyptian contenders, Zamalek won Al Ahly in the
African Game of the 20th Century by
Ayman Mansour's goal.
By 1994, Shaheen was not able to continue his duties due to his sickness, but the board chose to keep him in the position in honor of his devotion to the club, and Farouk Abo El Nasr was appointed to take over his duties while Shaheen stayed in his position. In 1995, four members in the board were removed due to their six absences from board meetings: Mahmoud Marouf, Mohamad Fayez El Zummur, and Amer. They were replaced with
Mortada Mansour, Mahmoud Abdallah, Mounnir Hassan, and Ibrahim Latif. The high committee for youth and sports objected on linking the appointed members with the elected ones, Hassan and Ibrahim Latif forfeited their positions. The newly two appointed members for the club board were Amer and El Nasr in support of their abilities and dedication. Fawzy was selected to be treasurer till the new elections.
On 4 July, Abd El Menem Emarah decided to release the club board and the
Egyptian Football Association
The Egyptian Football Association () is the governing body of association football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of the CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction over the Egyptian football league system and is responsible for ...
board after the game between Al-Ahly and Zamalek in 1995–96, and the board froze football activities in the club. A one-year temporary club board was selected with
Kamal Darwish as president, Abdel Aziz Kabil as vice president, and board members Hanafy Reyad, Magdy Sharaf, Ismail Selim,
Azmy Megahed, and Mohamad Abd El Rahman Fawzy. Accountant Mahmoud Badr El Deen was appointed as treasurer.
In 1996, Zamalek won their 4th
CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...
title, followed by the
1997 CAF Super Cup. In the same year, Zamalek won the
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
n side
Pohang Steelers
The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional Association football, football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of Football in South Korea, South Ko ...
in the
1997 Afro-Asian Club Championship, to be the only team to win this championship for two times in a record never broken to date.
Kamal Darwish was the president of Zamalek club for two terms from 1996 to 2005. Zamalek won 16 football titles during his reign, but overall he achieved 1186 championships in 24 games and he assumed the chairmanship of the board of directors in 2013 on a temporary board for the second time. He is the president with the most achievements in the history of Zamalek. In 2000, there was a friendly match between Zamalek and
Palestine national football team
The Palestine national football team (), governed by the Palestinian Football Association, represents Palestine in men's international football. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA, and is governed continentally by the Asian Foo ...
in
Gaza after breaking the Zionist siege. Zamalek was named the best club in the world by the
IFFHS
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
in February 2003. It was also the first Egyptian team to qualify for the
2001 FIFA Club World Cup in Spain, though that competition did not happen because of funding problems. Zamalek won the
CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...
in
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, one
African Super Cup
The CAF Super Cup, known as TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual African association football competition contested between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. The competition was fi ...
title in
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
, and the first two championships in the
Egyptian Super Cup
The Egyptian Super Cup is Football in Egypt, Egyptian football's annual match contested between the champions of the Egyptian Premier League season and the holders of the Egypt Cup. If the Egyptian Premier League champions also won the Egypt Cup ...
in
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
and
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
.
Zamalek is the only team to achieve seven championships between the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, surpassing
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
, who won six championships in one year. Zamalek also won the Egyptian Premier League three times in;
2000–01,
2002–03 and
2003–04 seasons, the Egypt Cup in 1999 and 2002.
Hazem Emam
Hazem Mohamed Yehia El Horria Mohamed Emam (; born 16 April 1975) is an Egyptian retired professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder. And he is member in House of Represent ...
was the icon of this generation for Zamalek, he won 14 titles with Zamalek and won the
1998 African Cup of Nations
The 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso was the 21st edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (ACN), the national Association football, football championship of Africa, administered by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Just like in ...
with the Egypt national football team, and he was nicknamed the "imam of the talented players".
Regression (2005–2013)
In 2005, many boards were dismissed by the Minister of Sport, which led to organizational uncertainty from 2005 to 2013, and changed the form of competition in Egypt for years. The football team only won two titles in this period; the
Egypt Cup
The Egypt Cup (also known as the Egyptian FA Cup and formerly as the King Farouk Cup) is the main knockout football cup competition in Egypt. It is the oldest club competition in Africa. The first team to win the trophy was Zamalek in 1922. Al A ...
in
2007–08 and
2012–13.
Shikabala
Mahmoud Abdelrazek Hassan Fadlala ( ; born 5 March 1986), nicknamed Shikabala ( ), is an Egyptian professional Association football, footballer who plays for Egyptian Premier League club Zamalek SC, Zamalek as a Forward (association football), fo ...
. Zamalek's winger, is one of the most prominent talents in the history of
Egyptian football, who carried the banner of Zamalek and preserved the popularity of Zamalek in that difficult period. The level of Zamalek continued to decline, and its administration destabilized since
Mortada Mansour assumed the presidency of the club in 2005.
The council did not last long and was dissolved, and a council headed by Morsi Atallah came to run the club before Mansour returned to head the council. Mansour dissolved the board of directors before restoring it, and the National Sports Council intervened to appoint a council headed by Muhammad Amir for a year before elections were held in May 2009, which resulted in the election of
Mamdouh Abbas as the club's president; Abbas' council was dissolved in 2010 after Mansour obtained a court ruling stating that the elections were rigged. The administrative authority appointed an interim council to manage the club headed by
Galal Ibrahim, before Abbas' council returned when Mansour abandoned his lawsuit.
Taher Abu Zaid disbanded Abbas' council, and formed an interim council headed by
Kamal Darwish to head Zamalek, but by appointment.
Reconstruction and reform (2014–)

In 2014,
Mortada Mansour took over the club. Zamalek won the
2014 Egypt Cup, playing in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
against Smouha, and won 1–0. In the next season 2014–15 season, Zamalek won the
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League (), also known as the Nile League () for sponsorship reasons, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest level of the Egyptian football ...
, and broke the record in obtaining the largest number of points in the league. The team won the
2015 Egypt Cup title at the end of the year, defeating Al Ahly in the final by a score of 2–0, and reached the semi-finals of the African
CAF Confederation Cup
The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football football team, club competition established in 2004 and organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF ...
in 2015. In 2016, Zamalek reached the finals in the
CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...
and won the
2016 Egypt Cup after winning Al Ahly again in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
and the
Egypt Super Cup. In 2018, the Zamalek football team won the
2018 Egypt Cup again.
In 2019 Zamalek won the
CAF Confederation Cup
The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football football team, club competition established in 2004 and organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF ...
, the
2019 Egypt Cup, the
Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup, the
2020 Egyptian Super Cup, and the
2020 CAF Super Cup. Since 2014, the football team won 11 championships, the last of which was the Egyptian Super Cup and the CAF Super Cup that were achieved in the span of one week. Mansour announced that "The trademark 'Real Football Club of the Century' is registered in the Ministry of Supply and Trade in Egypt." Zamalek sent a complaint to the
Egyptian Football Association
The Egyptian Football Association () is the governing body of association football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of the CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction over the Egyptian football league system and is responsible for ...
in preparation for escalating the case of the Century Club to
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
and the International Sports Court.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports suspended Zamalek's board of directors due to financial violations on Sunday 29 November 2020. The Egyptian Ministry of Sports and Youth named Emad Abdel-Aziz as Zamalek's new president to succeed Ahmed Bakry, who died due to
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. Then
Hussein Labib has been appointed the new Zamalek president of normalization committee. And the football team was able to obtain the Egyptian Premier League championship after the absence of six years from achieving the championship and Zamalek was also able to win the Egypt Cup in the same year, despite the difficult conditions that the club was going through in
2020–21 season.
On 22 November 2021, Mansour and his board of directors officially returned to Zamalek SC management, following the departure of the normalization committee until the club's elections. On 12 February 2022, Mansour became the president of Zamalek club for the third time, after the elections held by the club through the general assembly. In the
2021–22 season, the football team managed to achieve the Egyptian League for a second consecutive year and Egypt cup, despite the penalty of the
International Football Association (FIFA) to suspend the players' registration. In 2022–23 season, the club was suspended for the third time by FIFA, but maintained the main structure of the team.
On August 19, 2023, the Board of Directors of Zamalek submitted a collective resignation following the administration's failure to solve the club's crises and debts. This failure resulted in a ban on registering players, an inability to win most of the games and championships, and the cessation of work at the club's branch in
6th of October City
6th of October ( ; ) is a city in the Giza Governorate of Egypt. It is a satellite city, located adjacent to Giza, and is part of the Greater Cairo region. . The Youth and Sports Directorate appointed Hassan Moussa as executive management of the Zamalek Club, Ahmed Fouad Al-Watan as financial director, and Ayman Abdel Moneim as director of sports activities. The Ministry of Youth and Sports announced, in an official statement, the replacement of Hassan Moussa, CEO of Zamalek Club, with Imad Mustafa El-Banani until the elections for the new Board of Directors are held .

On 21 October 2023, the unified list, headed by
Hussein Labib, succeeded in winning the elections of Zamalek Club, by a large margin of votes from their closest rivals in all positions, except for the position of vice president, which witnessed a fierce competition between Hisham Nasr and Hany El Attal, before the former won it by a margin of more than 400 votes, to start the White Club a new era with the Labib board for the next 4 years.
Zamalek SC have defeated RS Berkane on away goals to win the
2023–24 CAF Confederation Cup title for the second time in the club's history, the number of continental titles rose to 14. Zamalek have won the
2024 CAF Super Cup, to be the fifth title of the
CAF Super Cup
The CAF Super Cup, known as TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual African association football competition contested between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. The competition was f ...
in the history of the club after beating Al Ahly 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the famous match known as the
African Super of the 21st Century.
Crests and colors
Crests
In 1913, the Cairo International Sports Club "Zamalek" was the official name of the club, often stamped C.I.S.C on the team's white jersey. In 1941, the royal emblem of the
Kingdom of Egypt and Sudan was the official emblem of the club at the time; when the club's name changed from "Mixed Club" to "Farouk Club" by royal order from
Farouk I, who was a fan of the club.
After the
1952 revolution
The Egyptian revolution of 1952, also known as the 1952 coup d'état () and the 23 July Revolution (), was a period of profound political, economic, and societal change in Egypt. On 23 July 1952, the revolution began with the toppling of King ...
on the royal rule in Egypt, the club's name and logo changed; the logo became a mixture of the sporting model and the ancient
Egyptian civilization. The logo's main colors express peace and struggle and have not changed since its establishment. The home jersey uses the original Zamalek colours. In the upper half of the logo, the arrow that points towards the target appears in a pharaonic uniform as an indication of the common goal between it and Zamalek.
Colors

Zamalek is famous for the stability of its basic colors, which have not changed throughout the club's history. It is distinguished by a fully white dress with two parallel red lines in the middle. The parallel red lines traditionally have always been displayed on the chest part of the jersey.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
Kit evolution
Source:
Grounds
Helmy Zamora Stadium

Helmy Zamora Stadium, formerly known as Zamalek Stadium, is a multi-use stadium in
Giza
Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. Originally, it was Zamalek's home ground, the stadium was developed over the years to become known as Helmy Zamora Stadium. In 1959, the stadium was officially opened and hosted a match between Zamalek and
Dukla Prague
Dukla Prague () was a Czech football club from the city of Prague. Established in 1948 as ATK Praha, the club won a total of 11 Czechoslovak league titles and eight Czechoslovak Cups, and in the 1966–67 season, reached the semi-finals of the ...
on this occasion. It was named Zamalek Stadium, and was later renamed to the Helmy Zamora Stadium, after
Helmy Zamora, a legend of the club. Zamalek continued to play some of their home games at Helmy Zamora Stadium.
In 1974, and after
Zamalek's stadium disaster, the
Cairo International Stadium
The Cairo International Stadium (), formerly known as Nasser Stadium, is an Olympic-standard, multi-use stadium with an all-seated capacity of 75,000. The architect of the stadium is the German Werner March, who designed the Olympiastadion (Berli ...
became the main official stadium of Zamalek. Currently, the stadium holds the team training and friendly games. It was renamed in 2014 -2023 to Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stadium after the former president of Zamalek, Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha. The stadium could hold 40,000 spectators before the capacity was reduced to 20,000, and later renamed Helmy Zamora Stadium in October 2023.
Cairo International Stadium

Cairo International Stadium in the
home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
ground of Zamalek, as the
Helmy Zamora Stadium
Helmy Zamora Stadium, is a multi-use stadium in Giza, Egypt. The stadium was initially named in honor of Mohammed Hassan Helmy, Helmy Zamora, the former player and president of Zamalek.
It was then renamed in 2014 to Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stad ...
is not suitable for hosting the first team's official matches due to its limited capacity, its central downtown location, and in need for renovations. The players train in Helmy Zamora Stadium but play their home matches in
Cairo International Stadium
The Cairo International Stadium (), formerly known as Nasser Stadium, is an Olympic-standard, multi-use stadium with an all-seated capacity of 75,000. The architect of the stadium is the German Werner March, who designed the Olympiastadion (Berli ...
for local matches and continental matches.
Supporters

Zamalek has an
ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are known for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tendency ...
group named the
Ultras White Knights that was founded on 17 March 2007 and is known for its pyrotechnic displays. Their motto is "Brotherhood in blood and fans of the free public Club". They were involved in clashes on 8 February 2015 before the league match between Zamalek and ENPI Club at the Cairo Air Defense Stadium, where 20 people were killed.
Stadiums disasters
Helmy Zamora Stadium disaster 1974
At least 48 people died in a stampede at a friendly game against Czechoslovak club
Dukla Prague
Dukla Prague () was a Czech football club from the city of Prague. Established in 1948 as ATK Praha, the club won a total of 11 Czechoslovak league titles and eight Czechoslovak Cups, and in the 1966–67 season, reached the semi-finals of the ...
at the
Helmy Zamora Stadium
Helmy Zamora Stadium, is a multi-use stadium in Giza, Egypt. The stadium was initially named in honor of Mohammed Hassan Helmy, Helmy Zamora, the former player and president of Zamalek.
It was then renamed in 2014 to Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stad ...
in 1974.
30 June Stadium stampede 2015
On 8 February 2015, 20 supporters were killed by policemen outside the
30 June Stadium.
Records and statistics
Most appearances
Top goal-scorers

*Most goals scored in all competitions: 134 –
Abdel Halim Ali
*Most goals scored in the League: 80 –
Abdel Halim Ali
*Most goals scored in October League Cup: 9 –
Hassan Shehata
Hassan Hassan Shehata (; born 19 June 1947) is an Egyptian retired association football, football manager and former professional football player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is considered as one of the best forwar ...
*Most goals scored in Egypt Cup: 23 –
Alaa El-Hamouly
*Most goals scored in all African competitions: 23 –
Abdel Halim Ali
*Most goals scored in all Arabian competitions: 13 –
Abdel Halim Ali
Awards winners
;
EFA Egyptian Player of the Year:
*
Hassan Shehata
Hassan Hassan Shehata (; born 19 June 1947) is an Egyptian retired association football, football manager and former professional football player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is considered as one of the best forwar ...
– 1976
*
Ibrahim Youssef – 1984
*
Tarek El-Said
Tarek El-Said Mohamed Aly Abdo (; born 5 April 1978) is a former Egyptian footballer. He was a left winger who played for Al-Ahly, Zamalek, and Anderlecht in the Belgian First Division.
Career
Tarek started as a youth player in Al-Ahly team ...
– 2001
*
Hazem Emam
Hazem Mohamed Yehia El Horria Mohamed Emam (; born 16 April 1975) is an Egyptian retired professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder. And he is member in House of Represent ...
– 2003
*
Shikabala
Mahmoud Abdelrazek Hassan Fadlala ( ; born 5 March 1986), nicknamed Shikabala ( ), is an Egyptian professional Association football, footballer who plays for Egyptian Premier League club Zamalek SC, Zamalek as a Forward (association football), fo ...
– 2011
Matches
*First
League match: Farouk (Zamalek) 5–1
El-Masry, Week 1, 22 October 1948.
*First
Egypt Cup
The Egypt Cup (also known as the Egyptian FA Cup and formerly as the King Farouk Cup) is the main knockout football cup competition in Egypt. It is the oldest club competition in Africa. The first team to win the trophy was Zamalek in 1922. Al A ...
match: Mokhtalat (Zamalek) 4–0
Tersana SC, first round, 3 March 1922.
*First
African Cup Winners' Cup
The African Cup Winners' Cup was a football competition that started in 1975 and merged with the CAF Cup in 2004 to form the CAF Confederation Cup. It was a competition between the winning clubs of domestic cups in CAF-affiliated nations and w ...
match: Zamalek 3–0
Al Ahly (Tripoli), first round, 7 May 1976.
*First
CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...
match: Zamalek 2–1
Simba F.C., first round, 16 March 1979.
*First
CAF Cup
The CAF Cup was an annual competition organised by the CAF for domestic leagues runners-up of member associations who have not qualified to one of the two pre-existing CAF international club competitions the African Cup of Champions Clubs or t ...
match: Zamalek 0–1
Gor Mahia, first round, 21 March 1998.
*First
CAF Confederation Cup
The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football football team, club competition established in 2004 and organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF ...
match: Zamalek 3–1
Rayon Sports, first round, 15 March 2015.
*Longest Winning Streak: 10 matches (1987–1988), (2012–2013).
*Longest
Clean sheet
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...
: 7 matches (2014–15 Egyptian Premier League).
*Longest Unbeaten Streak in Egypt Cup (Egyptian Record): 22 matches (2013–2017).
*Longest Unbeaten Home Streak in African Cups (African Record): 70 matches (1976–2005).
Individual
League
*
Ayman Younes scored the fastest goal in 1990 against
Suez
Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...
after 13 seconds.
* Mohamed Amin scored the first goal in the Egyptian League against
El Masry.
* Saad Rostom scored the first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
for Zamalek in the league against
El Masry.
The following players have won the top scorer award in the league while playing with Zamalek:
Cup
*
Hussein Yasser scored the fastest goal in the cup against Al Ahly in 2010 after 46 seconds.
*
Alaa El-Hamouly is Zamalek's all-time top scorer in the cup.
Rivalries
Cairo Derby
The Cairo Derby is a rivalry match between Egyptian clubs Zamalek and
Al Ahly SC
Al-Ahly Sporting Club (), commonly known as Al-Ahly, is an List of football clubs in Egypt, Egyptian professional sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional Association football, football team which curren ...
. Both clubs are located in
Greater Cairo
The Greater Cairo () is a metropolitan area centered around Cairo, Egypt. It comprises the entirety of the Cairo Governorate, the cities of Imbaba and Giza in the Giza Governorate, and the city Shubra El Kheima in Qalyubia Governorate. Its def ...
, and their matches are considered the highlight of the football season with a live broadcast to most of the Middle Eastern and North African countries since the 1970s.Typically, the derby is played twice each season with two matches in the
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League (), also known as the Nile League () for sponsorship reasons, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest level of the Egyptian football ...
,
Egypt Cup
The Egypt Cup (also known as the Egyptian FA Cup and formerly as the King Farouk Cup) is the main knockout football cup competition in Egypt. It is the oldest club competition in Africa. The first team to win the trophy was Zamalek in 1922. Al A ...
, especially in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, and in Africa's most prestigious club competition, the
CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...
.
Mit Okba Derby
The Mit Okba derby is a football match between Zamalek and
Tersana SC. Both teams are located in the
Mit Okba region in Giza. The derby was one of the most important matches of the Egyptian Premier League during the 1960s and 1970s, but it gradually lost its value after Tersana SC's performance started to deteriorate and the club has been relegated more than once to the
Egyptian Second Division
The Egyptian Second Division () was an Egyptian semi-professional football league representing the second tier of the Egyptian football league system until 2023. It was administered by the Egyptian Football Association. It was below the top profes ...
where it currently plays after being relegated for the sixth time in the
2008–09 season.
Finances and ownership
In 2018, Presentation Sports obtained a contract that increased from 100 million Egyptian pounds to 120 million annually to sponsor the club increased This increase in the sponsorship contract will be other than 20% over the amount mentioned in each year including broadcasting rights.
The financial cost of the new team uniform reached 9 million Egyptian pounds.
The board of directors of the
National Bank of Egypt signed a contract with Zamalek's management to rent three stores in the club wall on the League of Arab States Street with a
usufruct
Usufruct () is a limited real right (or ''in rem'' right) found in civil law and mixed jurisdictions that unites the two property interests of ''usus'' and ''fructus'':
* ''Usus'' (''use'', as in usage of or access to) is the right to use or en ...
for 25 years, with a rent for two years in advance.
Zamalek Club signed a cooperation protocol with
Banque Misr, from which it obtains immediate returns of 10 million pounds under the protocol. In return, Banque Misr has the right to use two local walls of the Zamalek Club wall for 20 years in exchange for 5 million pounds and an annual rent of 1.560 million pounds.
The report of the Controller at the Zamalek Club revealed that the budget surplus for the fiscal year 2018–2019 reached 170 million Egyptian pounds.
The temporary committee that runs the Zamalek club has signed a cooperation protocol with the
Ministry of Military Production (Egypt) for a construction and sports boom.
Imad Abdel Aziz, head of the temporary committee at Zamalek Club, stated that this protocol will contribute to building 6 October branch.
Zamalek Club and Aerosport Sports Club of the Ministry of Civil Aviation signed a protocol of joint cooperation aimed at benefiting from the expertise of Zamalek.
Zamalek SC has signed a cooperation protocol with the "I-Friends Sports" company, to establish a branch of the club in the United Arab Emirates.
Popular culture
Documentaries
In 2015, a documentary entitled ''Zamalek, O Engineering, playing, Art and Engineering'', was produced by
Abu Dhabi Sports. It was presented in two parts, and presents the history of the club since its foundation.
Another documentary film produced in 2016, ''Al Hekaya Mpethanish''(The story does not end), covers the club's history in the five championships in the African Champions League, and was produced by DMC Sport channel.
Another documentary film was produced by the
CBC CBC may refer to:
Media
* Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico
* Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster
** CBC Television
** CBC Radio One
** CBC Music
** ...
network in 2017, entitled ''Helmy Zamora''. It covers the story of Helmy or Zamora the icon of Zamalek club.
Another documentary film was produced in 2019 with the title ''Zamalek Club, the National and Dignity Club''. It was produced by the club, and shows the history of the club since its establishment.
Another documentary film produced in 2020 entitled ''Zamalek Legends: A long history of stars who inhabited the memory'', produced by Abu Dhabi Sports channel, covers the highlight of the club's most prominent stars from different generations.
Another documentary film produced in 2020 entitled ''Zamalek – The Road to the African Super 2020'', produced by
beIN SPORTS
beIN Sports ( ) is a Qatari multinational network of sports channels owned and operated by the media group beIN. The network has played a major role in the increased commercialization of Qatari sports. Its chairman is Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and its ...
Arabia channel, documents Zamalek's journey in winning the 2019
CAF Confederation Cup
The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football football team, club competition established in 2004 and organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF ...
.
Another documentary film produced in 2020 entitled ''Zamalek, the Road to the Semi-finals 2020'', produced by
beIN SPORTS
beIN Sports ( ) is a Qatari multinational network of sports channels owned and operated by the media group beIN. The network has played a major role in the increased commercialization of Qatari sports. Its chairman is Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and its ...
Arabia channel, describes Zamalek won the African Super Cup championship against
Espérance Sportive de Tunis
Espérance Sportive de Tunis (), known as ES Tunis or simply EST for short, is a Tunisian professional sports club founded on 15 January 1919 in the Bab Souika neighborhood of Tunis. Its football (soccer), football section has competed in th ...
, and won the local super championship against
Al Ahly
Al-Ahly Sporting Club (), commonly known as Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian professional sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team which currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest ...
.
Anthem
Malaki (Royal) is the Zamalek Club's anthem in the year of the Zamalek Club's centenary in 2011, with words, composition and singing by the artist Aziz Al-Shafi’i. The words are as follows:
Zamalek TV
Zamalek Club owns a TV channel known as Zamalek TV, which broadcasts on Nilesat in SD quality. The broadcast began experimentally on 31 December 2019 before the channel launched on 22 January 2020. The channel focuses on news about the club.
Zamalek Magazine
Zamalek magazine is an official Zamalek weekly magazine that is issued every Thursday, and contains news and reviews about the club and interviews with the players.
Club of the Century
In February 2014 administration of Zamalek announced the nickname of the club as the Club of the Century, as the most successful club of the 20th century in Africa (gaining 9 titles versus 7 for its closest rival)
CAF African Clubs top titles winners at the end of 20th century
Honours
Zamalek is one of the
top twenty clubs with the most titles in the world, and the seventh with the most continental and international titles, with 15 continental honors.
*
* shared record
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Youth team and reserves
Players under contract
Notable players
This list includes players that have appeared in at least 100 league games or have reached international status.
Source:
Personnel
Current technical staff
Medical staff
Management
*Source
Other sports
Zamalek participates in many sports besides football, such as
Zamalek SC Handball, Handball, Athletics,
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
, and
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
. Zamalek has won many domestic, Arab and African tournaments and participated in world championships.
References
External links
Zamalek TV– official channel on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
Zamalek SCon
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
(archived)
Zamalek SCon
CAFZamalek SCon
Egyptian Football Association
The Egyptian Football Association () is the governing body of association football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of the CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction over the Egyptian football league system and is responsible for ...
{{Arab Club Champions Cup winners
Football clubs in Egypt
Football clubs in Cairo
Sport in Giza
Association football clubs established in 1911
Sports clubs and teams established in 1911
1911 establishments in Egypt
Sports clubs and teams in Egypt
Clubs and societies in Egypt
Multi-sport clubs in Egypt
CAF Champions League–winning clubs
CAF Confederation Cup winning clubs
African Cup Winners Cup winning clubs
CAF Super Cup winning clubs
Egyptian Premier League clubs