In a twist few saw coming, Pyramids FC has stormed its way into African football history, lifting the CAF Champions League trophy for the very first time—and sending a clear message to the continent’s long-established footballing dynasties: there’s a new pharaoh in town.
The Cairo-based club, often dismissed in recent years as a flashy upstart bankrolled by Emirati money, silenced critics with a nail-biting 2-1 victory over South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2025 final. Held at a packed Cairo International Stadium, the match was more than just a game—it was a statement of intent from a club that has climbed the ranks with astonishing speed and audacity.
Pyramids FC’s rise is a footballing fairy tale with a twist of petro-dollars. Formed as Al Assiouty Sport in 2008, the club was bought by Saudi and later Emirati investors and rebranded in 2018. Since then, it has become a lightning rod in Egyptian football—a club with glitzy signings, expensive coaches, and now, finally, continental silverware to back up the swagger.
In the final, Pyramids opened scoring with a slick team move finished coolly by striker Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, the Tunisian veteran who has become the poster boy for the club’s ambition. Sundowns, no pushovers themselves and former champions, hit back through Teboho Mokoena, but it was Pyramids’ Moroccan winger Walid El Karti who settled the match with a scorching long-range goal in the 79th minute.
As the final whistle blew, a deafening roar erupted from the stands, and fireworks lit up the night sky over Cairo. The scenes of celebration wouldn’t have looked out of place at the Pyramids of Giza, fitting for a club that has often styled itself as a monument-in-the-making.
The victory is more than symbolic. It disrupts the long-standing North African football order dominated by Al Ahly and Zamalek in Egypt, Raja and Wydad in Morocco, and Esperance in Tunisia. Pyramids FC now enters this elite club as both a challenger and a disruptor—football’s equivalent of a new royal lineage.
For Egypt, the win comes at a time when the country is seeking soft power boosts across Africa. With Cairo already projecting influence through infrastructure projects, cultural diplomacy, and peacekeeping roles, a continental football trophy is an easy win for national pride—and regional bragging rights.
But what does this mean for African club football? Some say it signals a new era of competition driven by cash-rich, investor-backed outfits—similar to the shift seen in Europe with Manchester City or PSG. “This is a club built on vision, structure, and serious financial muscle,” said CAF analyst George Owino. “If Pyramids can stay consistent, we could see more teams following this model across the continent.”
However, the club’s success also raises uncomfortable questions. Is it a one-off fairy tale or the beginning of a money-driven domination? Critics argue that the heavy financial backing from Gulf investors skews domestic competition and creates a chasm between well-funded teams and traditional clubs running on thinner margins.
Still, for fans, that debate can wait. The streets of Cairo were flooded with blue and gold flags—the club’s colors—as fans danced, chanted, and swarmed downtown cafés and Nile-side promenades. “They laughed at us for supporting a ‘plastic club,’” said one ecstatic supporter draped in a Pyramids scarf. “Now we’ve got the biggest cup in Africa. Who’s laughing now?”
Meanwhile, Pyramids FC chairman Mansour Al Dhaheri hinted that the club’s ambitions don’t stop at the continental level. “We are not done,” he said. “This is the beginning. We want to see Pyramids in the FIFA Club World Cup, facing the giants of the world.”
It’s hard to argue with that swagger now. The team’s meteoric rise has been built on calculated ambition—something African football has no shortage of, but rarely sees executed so boldly.
So, while giants like Al Ahly, TP Mazembe, and Sundowns lick their wounds, Pyramids FC has made it abundantly clear: Egyptian football isn’t just a two-horse race anymore—it’s a full-blown pyramid scheme.
