Relegation cancelled in Nile Egyptian League following vote, competition to expand next season

The Egyptian Professional Clubs Association has officially announced a major change to the format of the Nile Egyptian League for both the current and upcoming seasons.

It has been decided that no teams will be relegated from the Nile League in the 2024–25 season, meaning all eighteen current top-flight clubs will remain in the league for the next season's edition in addition to three promoted clubs from the second division. This means there will be 21 clubs in next season's Nile Egyptian League.

According to the previous regulations, the bottom two teams in the standings would be relegated to the Second Division (Professional League), with three clubs promoted in their place.

However, following a recent meeting between the Egyptian Professional Clubs Association and most of the league’s clubs—and after votes from several teams—it was agreed to cancel relegation for the current season.

The meeting was attended by 15 out of the 18 Nile League clubs, with Zamalek, Pyramids, and Haras El Hodoud absent. Zamalek notably boycotted the meeting in protest of the Association’s decision to consider Al Ahly as having forfeited their Cairo Derby match on May 11—without applying the additional three-point deduction that Zamalek had demanded.

The league will retain its current two-phase format next season. In the first phase, all 21 clubs will play one another. In the second phase, the teams will be split into a Title Group and a Relegation Group like the ongoing current season.

Starting from the 2025–26 season, four teams will be relegated and three promoted from the Second Division.

While the final structure is yet to be officially announced, the most likely scenario for next season involves a 7-team Title Group and a 14-team Relegation Group. The current season’s format featured two groups, each including nine teams.

In addition, the clubs have agreed that the 2025–26 Nile League season will kick off on August 15, 2025, and conclude by the end of May 2026.