FIFA Club World Cup Preview: Is Al Ahly capable of advancing out of Group A?
- Andrew Olsson
- Jun 11
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 14
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, featuring an expanded field to resemble the FIFA World Cup, kicks off on Saturday in Miami with Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC set to clash with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in Group A.
After a lackluster season by their astronomical standards, Ahly have reloaded with new high-priced signings and a new head coach to make an impact on a massive stage. In the first of our preview of the African participants, read more to see what Ahly's chances are of making a major impact and advancing out of Group A.
Introduction
The African Club of the 20th Century, Al Ahly has 26 continental titles in African club football and has the most impressive CV of African teams in the history of the Club World Cup and the other names the tournament has gone by. Ahly have consistently proven themselves against clubs from outside Europe and South America, reaching the semifinals at the last four Club World Cups and achieving third place four times (2006, 2020, 2021 and 2023).
Ahly qualified for the upcoming edition by virtue of winning the 2020-21 CAF Champions League, an achievement they repeated at the 2022-23 and 2023-24 editions of Africa's top club competition.
A new coach: José Riveiro
Al Ahly will come into the Club World Cup with a new coach who will make his competitive debut with the club on Saturday against Inter Miami. José Riveiro arrives after a successful spell in charge of South Africa's Orlando Pirates and now his moment has arrived on the biggest stage in international club football.
The thoughtful Spanish tactician, after time spent in the obscurity of coaching youth teams in his native country and time spent in Finnish football, has enjoyed a massive rise due to his success at Pirates. After promoting youth players and working with a fraction of the budget he will enjoy at Ahly, the Club World Cup will be a big step up for a coach who is now managing players with far bigger salaries and egos than he has ever experienced.
However, after Ahly supporters were left dismayed by a semifinal exit at the 2024-25 CAF Champions League that featured negative and defensive tactics under predecessor Marcel Koller, there is plenty of excitement for what Riveiro has to offer a new look team for this occasion.
A revamped squad
The management of Al Ahly knew the squad would need improvements to compete on this stage with and several highly regarded players have arrived. Most notable is the acquisition of Ahmed Sayed "Zizo" after a long transfer saga that saw the playmaker spurn Cairo rivals Zamalek to join Ahly on a free transfer. Zizo offers excellent technical ability that allows him to both create and score goals along with precision on set pieces.
Improving the attack was the main focus for Al Ahly and joining Zizo are two other North African arrivals who add technique and goal scoring ability. Egypt national team winger Trezeguet has plenty of experience from his club career in Europe (Aston Villa, Trabzonspor and Anderlecht) and most recently the Gulf region. The 30-year-old decisive attacker enjoys running at defenders and possesses an eye for goal.
Tunisia national team midfielder Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane is another player to watch after gaining experience in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League with Hungary's Ferencváros. The former Espérance de Tunis star excels at striking the ball from distance and arriving late in the box from his central midfield position to finish team movements.
But the most intriguing arrival is Mali national team central midfielder Aliou Dieng, a very familiar face to Ahly supporters. Al Ahly lacked power in the midfield this season and Dieng offers not only the strength to compete with the elite athleticism of this level, but he is also a box-to-box player who can provide a crucial link from the midfield to the attack.
Dieng recently returned to Ahly after a season spent on loan with Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League. Another player who arrives on loan after many years with Ahly is Hamdi Fathi, another experienced central midfielder who returned on loan for this tournament from Qatari club Al-Wakrah.
Other players to watch
The notable arrivals will support an experienced squad that has plenty of familiarity along with a couple of lucrative foreign transfers from earlier in the 2024-25 campaign.
In the defense, club captain and long-time goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy will be the vocal leader who has seen it all with Al Ahly. The 36-year-old will need to be an effective presence because the defense is in a bit of a transition phase.
Right back Mohamed Hany is a familiar face but after the departure of Rami Rabia, Moroccan central defender Achraf Dari will need to acclimate quickly after spending long periods of time out of action this season since arriving before the 2024-25 season. Otherwise, Yasser Ibrahim is an experienced option to partner Dari in the middle in what will be a defense composed largely of domestic players.
There are numerous options for Riveiro in the midfield. Marwan Attia, a deep-lying metronome with excellent passing range, is the most likely to start after being a key figure throughout the season. Ben Romdhane, Dieng and Fathi will all compete for a place in Riveiro's eleven with a disadvantage for Ben Romdhane and Dieng due to their recent arrivals.
At striker, Palestine national team player Wissam Abou Ali is likely to lead the line but there is firm competition from Slovenian striker Nejc Gradisar who may start the opening match while Abou Ali recovers from international duty with Palestine. Zizo and Moroccan attacker Achraf Bencharki, both former Zamalek stars, should feature along with versatile attacking force Emam Ashour.
A lot of decisions ahead for coach Riveiro considering the presence of vetreans like Mohamed Magdy "Afsha", Taher Mohamed and Hussein El Shahat who are all attacking players that have plenty of experience in this competition.
Evaluating Group A
Inter Miami
The highly anticipated opening clash at the Club World Cup will see Ahly match wits with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. It is a perfect time to face the Major League Soccer club. With Messi returning from national team duty with Argentina and some concerning recent results, Ahly need to go for the victory. Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets remain skilled but are noticeably slow these days and Miami's fragile defense struggles to contain pace.
Palmeiras
After winning back-to-back Brazilian Serie A titles (2022 and 2023) and also the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Copa Libertadores, Palmeiras do not look quite as intimidating as they would a couple of years ago. However, with plenty of firepower up top including the latest hyped young Brazilian forward Estêvão, the São Paulo giants will be substantial favorites against Ahly.
FC Porto
Ahly could very well need a result by the time they wrap up Group A against Porto, making this match the most uncertain in terms of predicting a winner. Porto struggled to a third place finish in Portugal's Primeira Liga but have a balanced squad even if their prospects of a deep run are low in the USA. The European representative will be favorites against Ahly but the Egyptian giants are more than capable of getting the result they need.
Chances of advancing out of Group A: 30%
The reality is that despite some notable transfers to improve the midfield and the attack, Al Ahly will be facing an uphill battle to qualify for the Round of 16. However, the draw is promising and none of the other clubs in Group A are at an elite level except for perhaps Palmeiras.
Ahly must show urgency immediately in their most winnable match, against Inter Miami. If they can overcome the shock and awe of competing against Lionel Messi and get a positive result, watch out for what could be a crucial final match against Porto where Ahly can prove they belong at this competition.
