On 24 April 1907, in a house in Giza, the first general meeting was held of a club that would become the most successful in Africa. Al Ahly turns 120 on 24 April 2027. It was born in an occupied Egypt, with a very clear purpose.

A club for Egyptians

At the time Egypt was under British occupation, and most sports clubs served foreigners or the upper class. The idea for something different came from Omar Lotfy, a law student and president of the High School Students Club, founded in 1905.

The founders first met on 8 April 1907, and on 24 April they held the first general meeting at the Giza home of Alfred Mitchell-Innes. The money was raised by issuing 1,000 shares at 5 Egyptian pounds each.

Mitchell-Innes himself, a British adviser to the Ministry of Finance, became the first president, to secure financial support. In April 1908 Aziz Ezzat took over as the first Egyptian president, while the first honorary president was Saad Zaghloul, then Minister of Education.

What "Al Ahly" means

The name was suggested by Amin Samy and means roughly "the National". It was a statement in itself: the club existed to serve Egyptians.

That is where the title "Club of Patriotism" comes from. Fans, though, usually call the team the "Red Devils", the "Red Castle" or the "Red Giant".

From stripes to all red

The first shirt had red and white stripes, which according to the club reflected the colours of the Egyptian flag of the time. Over the years red took over and became the team's trademark.

For the club, red still stands for the national flag. White has not disappeared, as it remains Al Ahly's second colour.

The first crest was designed in 1917, also inspired by the flag of the time, and had a crown at the top. In 1952 the crown was replaced by the word "Nady", meaning "club", and in late 2018, after the 40th league title, a fourth star was added.

The first titles

The first trophy came in 1923 with the Sultan Hussein Cup, and a year later followed the first Egypt Cup. Mokhtar El-Tetsh was the hero of the 1924 final with two goals.

When the Egyptian league began in 1948-49, Al Ahly became its first champion, with El-Tetsh now on the bench. That same season it also won the Cup, beating Zamalek 3-1 in the final.

The king of Africa

In Africa the first triumph came in 1982, and since then the team has never stopped filling its trophy cabinet. In May 2024 it beat Espérance 1-0 to lift its 12th CAF Champions League, a continental record.

CAF named it Africa's club of the 20th century. At the FIFA Club World Cup it has won bronze in 2006, 2020, 2021 and 2023, and it plays its big games at Cairo International Stadium, which holds 75,000.

The legends in red

The first great star was Hussein Hegazi, while El-Tetsh later gave his name to the club's ground. In the 1950s Saleh Selim and Ahmed Makkawi stood out.

Mahmoud El Khatib wore red for 17 years, until 1987, and in 2017 was elected club president. In the modern era Mohamed Aboutrika became the face of the team, alongside legendary goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.

Celebrate with us

120 years after that meeting in Giza, Al Ahly remains Egypt's "National" club and the biggest name in African football. Happy 120th birthday, Red Devils!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Cairo International Stadium before Al Ahly v Mamelodi Sundowns, 2020 – Crosskimo, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.