The Egyptian Basketball Federation, headed by Amr Moussailhi, revealed the schedule of matches for the preliminary round of the Men's Associated League Championship for the 2026-2027 season.
The Associated League competition is scheduled to kick off on September 18 next with the first-leg matches of the preliminary round, which will be held on a home-and-away basis between the men's and associated teams for juniors under 16 years old, with the participation of 16 teams.
The Associated League Championship determines the first-round matchups of the Super League Championship qualifying for the African League, based on the standings of the participating teams.
Sixteen teams are participating in the competition: Al Ahly, Al Ittihad Alexandria, Telecom Egypt, Zamalek, Petrojet, Sporting, Smouha, Al Gezira, Al Qanah, Talaea El Gaish, Heliopolis, Olympic, Asahab El Gead, El Said, El Zahour, and Damanhour Games.
The teams have been divided into 4 groups, with each group containing 4 teams.
The preliminary round matches will be held on a home-and-away basis, where the winning team in the men's and associated under-16 matches earns two points, while the losing team earns one point. The top team from each group qualifies directly to the quarterfinals, while the teams finishing second and third will play playoff matches to qualify for the round of 8.
Preliminary Round Match Schedule (First Leg)
Matchday 1 - September 18, 2026
Al Ahly × Asahab El Gead
Petrojet × Al Qanah
Telecom Egypt × El Zahour
Zamalek × Damanhour Games
Al Ittihad Alexandria × El Said
Sporting × Talaea El Gaish
Al Gezira × Olympic
Smouha × Heliopolis
Matchday 2 - September 21, 2026
Al Qanah × Al Ahly
Asahab El Gead × Petrojet
Talaea El Gaish × Al Ittihad Alexandria
El Said × Sporting
Heliopolis × Telecom Egypt
El Zahour × Smouha
Olympic × Zamalek
Damanhour Games × Al Gezira
Matchday 3 – September 24, 2026
Al Ahly × Petrojet
Al Qanah × Asahab El Gead
Al Ittihad Alexandria × Sporting
Talaea El Gaish × El Said
Telecom Egypt × Smouha
Heliopolis × El Zahour
Zamalek × Al Gezira
Olympic × Damanhour Games
