Pyramids FC: the fast-rising Cairo club aiming to add the TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup to their breakthrough year
Pyramids FC walk into Saturday’s TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup as the new power in African club football. The Cairo side, fresh from lifting their first TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title last season, meet Morocco’s RS Berkane at the 30 June Stadium—fittingly, the arena they call home.
It is Pyramids’ debut in the one-off showpiece; Berkane are chasing a second crown. Kick-off is 20:00 local time.
From Al Assiouty to Pyramids: a rapid climb
The club’s story is unusually swift. Founded in 2008 as Al Assiouty Sport, they earned a reputation for good scouting and player development before a 2018 rebrand to Pyramids FC and a move to Cairo.
Investment followed, the sporting structure was professionalised and recruitment sharpened. Within a few seasons Pyramids were contesting domestic cups, qualifying regularly for continental competition and, in 2024, celebrating a first Egyptian Premier League title.
Twelve months later came the breakthrough on the continent: their maiden CAF Champions League.
Pyramids’ rise has been underpinned by a clear model—retain Egypt’s best emerging talent, add targeted international experience and back it with sports science and match preparation that mirrors Europe’s top leagues.
The 30 June Stadium, in the New Cairo district, has become both a fortress and a brand statement; it now stages Saturday’s Super Cup.
The coach: Krunoslav Jurčić’s clear, compact blueprint
Head coach Krunoslav Jurčić has given Pyramids a recognisable shape. The Croatian favours a compact 4-2-3-1 that presses selectively, protects central spaces and breaks quickly through wide runners.
Out of possession the two pivots tighten the middle; in transition the front four attack with speed and numbers.
That balance—streetwise without the ball, ruthless with it—carried Pyramids through tough knockout ties in last season’s Champions League and again in September’s inter-continental commitments.
Jurčić’s staff have also been credited with marginal gains: set-play detail, recovery protocols and rotation that kept the group fresh across a long league-and-Africa calendar.
The spine: experience at the back, craft in midfield
The base of the team is settled. Goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy brings big-game calm and reflex saves. Ahead of him, centre-backs Ahmed Sami and Osama Galal provide an aerial presence and assured first passes, flanked by Moroccan right-back Mohamed Chibi and Egypt international Mohamed Hamdi.
In midfield, Muhannad Lasheen screens intelligently while Morocco’s Walid El Karti links phases and dictates the tempo.
The No.10/wing slots have been shared by a gifted group: Egypt international Ibrahim Adel when fit, the industrious Mostafa Fathi, Brazilian creator , and the high-pressing movement of Mohamed Atef.
Former Premier League winger Ramadan Sobhi remains a reference point when available, offering ball-carrying and big-occasion know-how.
The cutting edge: Fiston Mayele leads the line
If a single name captures Pyramids’ continental rise it is Fiston Mayele. The DR Congo striker has supplied the penalty-box punch Jurčić’s structure demands—aggressive runs across centre-backs, fast finishes from low crosses and a habit of scoring in momentum-shifting moments.
Around him, wide forwards attack the back post and late runners arrive from midfield, a pattern that produced decisive flurries during the Champions League run and in September’s international club fixtures.
Continental pedigree, renewed purpose
Pyramids have felt continental heartbreak before—most notably the narrow CAF Confederation Cup final defeat to Berkane in 2020. That memory fuels Saturday’s narrative: a first Super Cup appearance for the Egyptians, and a chance to measure themselves against the tournament’s 2022 winners. The prize is tangible ($500,000 for the winners) and symbolic: a statement that Pyramids’ rise is built to last.
What to expect on Saturday
Jurčić’s side typically manage first legs and one-off finals with control. Expect the double pivot to limit space between the lines and full-backs to pick moments rather than bomb on. Transitions to Mayele, plus set plays aimed at Sami and Galal, are key attacking lanes.
With the game in Cairo and the club enjoying its most successful period, the emphasis will be on maturity—minimising errors, striking when Berkane overcommit and using the bench to keep intensity high.
Whatever the outcome, Pyramids already represent a new thread in the tapestry of Egyptian and African club football: modern operations, bold recruitment and a squad deep enough to challenge on multiple fronts. Add a Super Cup to their first Champions League and the statement becomes louder still.