Thursday's Egypt Cup round-of-32 draw, staged at the Egyptian Football Association's headquarters, handed Al-Ahly and Zamalek the same path for the 2026-2027 season. That opens the door to a possible clash between Egyptian football's two giants in the knockout rounds.
The ceremony set the round-of-32 fixtures and mapped out every club's route through to the final, with fans eager to track the big teams in a tournament fiercely contested by Premier League and lower-division sides alike.
Al-Ahly open against the winner of El Nasr and El Sekka El Hadid. Zamalek face the winner of Misr Lel Tameen and Pharco, while holders Pyramids meet the winner of El Dakhleya and El Tersana.
Elsewhere among the popular clubs, El Masry El Port Saidy take on Misr El Makkasa, ZED play the winner of Samannoud and Baladeyet El Mahalla, and Ceramica Cleopatra go up against Abu Qir Fertilizers. Each side is chasing a ticket to the round of 16 and a shot at the title.
The preliminary rounds have already claimed some big scalps. Chief among them is Ismaily, who crashed out in the third preliminary round after a 1-0 defeat to El Rabat El Anwar.
Pyramids go into the competition as cup holders. They lifted the trophy last season by beating ZED 2-1 in the final, the sky-blue side's second Egypt Cup triumph in their history.
The full draw was as follows:
The first path
Pyramids v the winner between El Dakhleya and El Tersana
Al-Ahly Bank v the winner between El Rabat El Anwar and Port Fouad
El Masry v Misr El Makkasa
Tala'ea El Gaish v Petrol Assiut
ZED v the winner between Samannoud and Baladeyet El Mahalla
Smouha v the winner between El Minya and Tahta
Wadi Degla v the winner between Tanta and Kahraba El Ismailia
Ceramica Cleopatra v Abu Qir Fertilizers
The second path
Zamalek v the winner between Misr Lel Tameen and Pharco
ENPPI v the winner between Proxy and Diamond FC
El Gouna v the winner between El Alumonyoum and Ittihad El Shorta
El Ittihad El Sakandary v Ghazl El Mahalla
Al-Ahly v the winner between El Nasr and El Sekka El Hadid
Petrojet v the winner between Delphy and Mega Sport
El Mokawloon El Arab v the winner between Nogoom Misr and El Masreya Lel Ittisalat
Modern Sport v El Qanah