Egyptian and African champions Al Ahly have announced their intention to build a brand new stadium on the outskirts of Cairo.
The Red Devils have long held the ambition of owning their own large-capacity venue. The club does currently have the 15,000-seater Mokhtar El-Tetsh Stadium, but security concerns and its small capacity have seen it being used for training and friendly matches mostly.
The club has generally used the state-owned Cairo International Stadium for home matches, though the Borg El-Arab Stadium on the outskirts of Alexandria – which is the home venue for arch-rivals Zamalek – has also been used by them on occasion.
Late 2019 saw Al Ahly announce a 25-year lease for the Al-Salam Stadium, which they re-named Ahly Stadium. However, the team has continued to hold their high-profile matches at the larger Cairo International Stadium – even with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing games to be played without fans.
The new stadium is set to be built on the outskirts of northwest Cairo, though the club has declined from providing details of its capacity, cost and build timeline.
“The efforts of chairman Mahmoud El-Khatib led to the club being granted all approvals to build the new stadium on its land in El-Sheikh Zayed district,” Al Ahly said in a statement, as quoted by Ahram Online.
The cornerstone of the new stadium is set to be laid on Saturday, 1st May 2021. The African champions will hope that this new stadium continues to bring fortunes to one of the most successful clubs in football history.
