The rise of Pyramids FC

Throughout the history of Egyptian football, Al Ahly have established a hegemony within the domestic game.

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Zamalek have consistently challenged the Red Devils; however, a third side now seems poised to disrupt the duopoly in the country — Pyramids FC. Their gradual ascent within domestic football has laid the foundation for the club to become a force in continental football, as they are now set to face Mamelodi Sundowns in the final of the CAF Champions League. Soccer Laduma international writer Kamogelo Motecwane forensically analyses how a team that didn’t exist at the start of the century is now on the cusp of becoming continental kings, just a season after making its debut in the competition.

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Pyramids FC now stand a chance of making the 2024/25 campaign a historic season in their relatively short existence. The Cairo-based club is currently embroiled in a gripping title race with Ahly, as it is now two points behind the Egyptian Premier League record winners at the time of writing.

In the CAF Champions League, they knocked out Orlando Pirates in the semifinal, and at the end of May, they will play Mamelodi Sundowns in African club football's biggest match.

However, while the football fraternity may see the aspiring North African giants as a big-spending, budding powerhouse, the club actually had humble beginnings and was not even named Pyramids to start with.

The Genesis of Egypt's newest powerhouse

The club, first known as Al Assiouty Sport, was founded in 2008 in the vibrant city of Beni Suef in Upper Egypt, but was later relocated to Cairo. Egyptian businessman Mahmoud Al-Assiouty founded the club.

Although founded in 2008, the club is not based in Assiut Governorate, as its original name might suggest. Instead, it is located on the Western Assiut Road — approximately 45 minutes from the Giza Pyramids — in a tourist area called Meidum between the provinces/governorates of Fayoum and Beni Suef.