Al-Ahly Stadium – design description

What is the design of the new Al-Ahly stadium in a nutshell?

The wait for a new stadium for Al-Ahly of Cairo has been going on for many years. A facility of its own is the dream not only of the club's president and its legend, Mahmoud “Bibo” El Khatib, but also of generations of fans of one of Africa's biggest clubs.

The “Project of the Century” was entrusted to American architects from the Gensler company. The presentation of the striking vision took place on February 14, 2025, during a gala ceremony held in front of the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor. The same day also marked the start of construction, which should take exactly 200 weeks.

The facility is to be built in Sheikh Zayed City, a remote western suburb of the Cairo metropolitan area. Slightly below the expectations of some fans, the venue will accommodate “only” 42,400 spectators.

The stadium will be equipped with the latest technology, including a panoramic screen suspended under the roof. It will also house the Al-Ahly museum, and one of its most distinctive features will be a large arch that will create a huge “window” above the main stand.

Why does Al-Ahly need a new stadium?

What is Al-Ahly?

Al-Ahly is the most successful and one of the most recognizable football clubs in Africa. The Cairo-based club was founded in 1907, and today is the leader in terms of the number of titles won in the Egyptian league, as well as in the CAF Champions League. The team has numerous supporters in Egypt and around the world.

Where has Al-Ahly played so far?

Mokhtar El Tetsh Stadium

Al-Ahly's first permanent home was Mokhtar El Tetsh Stadium. The team played there for many years, but moved to a new venue after the opening of Cairo International Stadium. Mokhtar El Tetsh Stadium is located in the center of Cairo, on Zamalek Island. It is currently far from modern standards and is mainly used as a training facility.

Cairo International Stadium

Cairo International Stadium opened in 1960, and was built according to plans by Werner March, the architect of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. For many years it was the largest stadium in Egypt, serving not only Al-Ahly, but also other clubs and the country's national team.

Other stadiums

Al-Ahly often plays its matches at other, smaller venues, either occasionally or for shorter or longer periods. In the summer of 2020, the team moved to Al Salam Stadium in the northeastern suburbs, which was to be the club's new permanent home (at least until a new facility is built), but in early 2023 the team returned to playing matches at Cairo International Stadium.

Does Cairo International Stadium suit Al-Ahly's needs?

While it might seem like a monumental stadium perfectly suited to a big club, on a day-to-day basis it is simply too big for Al-Ahly. Outside of matches against major rivals, such as the famous derby with Zamalek SC or African Champions League games, there were often a lot of empty seats in the stands, and things got even worse after the Port Said stadium riots in February 2012 and the imposition of huge restrictions on clubs.

The stadium, moreover, is no longer as modern by 21st century standards. The presence of an athletic track means that the stands are further away from the field, and watching the games is less attractive. The facility is also not owned by Al-Ahly, making it difficult for the club to clearly identify with it, and the lack of sufficient commercial features limits revenue opportunities.

When did the plans to build a new stadium for Al-Ahly originate?

The construction of a new stadium for Al-Ahly had been discussed for years. However, the first concrete project was only presented by the club in March 2015, at Egypt Economic Development Conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The concept was prepared by German office Albert Speer + Partner, in cooperation with ARUP Frankfurt and GRID Cairo. It was to be a football-specific venue with a capacity of 60,000 spectators, covered with a roof and facade with triangular patterns. Its construction was to cost 3 billion Egyptian pounds.

The design of the new Al-Ahly stadium by Albert Speer + Partner can be seen on a separate subpage

Where will the new Al-Ahly stadium be built?

A site in the northern part of Sheikh Zayed City was chosen as the location for the new stadium. This is a relatively new city built on desert land and is a remote western suburb of the Cairo metropolitan area.

The club acquired a plot of land in the north of Sheikh Zayed City as early as August 2005, and in late 2009 received approval from the authorities to build new facilities on the site. Due to its relative proximity to the airport (Sphinx International Airport), the buildings could have a maximum height of 6 meters, but negotiations later succeeded in raising this limit to 30 meters.

Initially, Al-Ahly used the site to build its third club base (after the facilities on Zamalek Island and in Nasr City). Work began in mid-2012, and in May 2015 the first structures were put into use: a social building and playing fields. In the following years, expansion of the base continued, including the opening of a new swimming pool in 2017, a sports hall complex in 2021 and a mosque in 2024.

What developments have been made on the construction of Al-Ahly's new stadium?

At the end of 2017, Mahmoud El Khatib, the legendary Al-Ahly striker and the first Egyptian to be honored as the best footballer in Africa (1983), became the club's new president. He had previously served as the club's vice president since 2004. El Khatib has repeatedly declared that his great dream is to live to see the time when Al-Ahly gets a new stadium of its own.

When was the new design by Populous for Al-Ahly's new stadium created?

Back on December 31, 2017, El Khatib held a press conference where he revealed new plans for the stadium. The facility was still to be built in Sheikh Zayed City and would hold 60,000 spectators, but a completely new, striking concept was presented, with a distinctive tower integrated into the stadium, which was prepared by the well-known company Populous. The cost of building the stadium was estimated at 8 billion Egyptian pounds.

The design of the new Al-Ahly stadium by Populous can be seen on a separate subpage

When was the cornerstone for the new Al-Ahly stadium laid?

On May 1, 2021, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new stadium was held at Al-Ahly's compound in Sheikh Zayed City. Representatives of the government and local authorities were present at the ceremony.

However, the ceremony was rather symbolic – in fact, at that time no construction work had yet begun, nor had detailed plans for the project been revealed, and it was only decided to hold the ceremony as the club obtained the necessary permits.

When was the new concept for the Al-Ahly stadium presented and when did construction begin?

The club was quite sparse in sharing information about progress on the new stadium, although behind the scenes work was being carried out intensively. In early 2025, however, more reports began to emerge, including a 4 billion Egyptian pound deal with Beltone Leasing & Factoring to finance the project.

The club also teamed up with American architectural firm Gensler to develop a new concept for the stadium in cooperation with the UK's Buro Happold and local El Qalaa El Hamraa. The project was kept secret from the wider public until its presentation.

The presentation took place on February 14, 2025, and a gala ceremony was held for the occasion in front of the Temple of Hatshepsut near Luxor, in the south of the country. In addition to the extraordinary setting afforded by the ancient temple, the choice of Luxor was also due to the fact that, as of 2021, Al-Ahly has one of its bases here, with which it hopes to recruit new talent.

While information about the project was previously avoided being shared, the ceremony itself was already quite spectacular. Al-Ahly's president, Mahmoud El Khatib, spoke at the gala, a multimedia presentation with details of the new concept was presented and a maquette of the new stadium was shown. “Guest” of the ceremony was also the 2025 Club World Cup trophy, as part of its tour of 20 countries.

The presentation of the project didn't end there, as it was also combined with a video conference live from Sheikh Zayed City, where a construction crew was already on site, ready to start building the new stadium.

During the video conference, the project manager confirmed that all necessary permits had been received, and the club's president gave the symbolic signal to begin the work. It was also revealed that construction is expected to take 200 weeks and a countdown clock was launched.

When will Al-Ahly's new stadium be built?

Construction of the new stadium was symbolically inaugurated at a project presentation ceremony on February 14, 2025. The work is expected to last 200 weeks (just under four years) and should be completed by the end of 2028. The cost of completing the project was estimated at 8-9 billion Egyptian pounds.

What will the new Al-Ahly stadium be like?

Al-Ahly's new stadium will be given an asymmetrical form, with three high, two-story stands and a much lower main stand on the east side. A huge arch will be built above the main stand, which is expected to be one of the most distinctive features of the facility.

A platform will also be erected above the main stand, forming part of a larger plaza accessible to fans, and from its edge it will be possible to watch the pitch.

The stands will be covered by a lightweight roof based on a cable-stayed structure, at the edge of which a panoramic video screen will be suspended. The undulating, openwork facade will be covered with LED panels, so that various images and animations can be displayed on it as well.

Although many of the club's supporters expected Al-Ahly's stadium to be monumental in size, during the development of the project it was deemed optimal to reduce the plans for the capacity of the new venue. In the end, instead of the 60,000 that was declared during the presentation of previous visions, the stadium is expected to hold 42,400 spectators.

The stand behind the north goal will hold 11,000 spectators and will be dedicated to Al-Ahly's most ardent supporters. The division between the upper and lower floors in this stand will be slightly different from that on the west and south sides, so that the upper section will be more extensive.

The stadium will include VIP boxes and skyboxes, as well as an official club store and museum. Due to restrictions on the maximum height of the building, the lower sections of the auditorium will be sunken below the ground level. This, in turn, will allow to lower the temperature inside the facility.

There will be plenty of open space around the stadium, including a plaza in front of the main stand, which will be built on an elevated platform. The walls surrounding the stadium will be covered with plaques bearing the names of club supporters who choose to make a symbolic contribution to the construction of the stadium.

The stadium will be built in the northern part of Sheikh Zayed City, a remote western suburb of the Cairo metropolitan area (about 30 kilometers from the center). The facility will be part of a larger Al-Ahly facility, with training fields, tennis courts, sports halls, a swimming pool and a mosque.