It is no mean feat for any Egyptian club to shine when giants like Al Ahly and Zamalek cast such long shadows in the football landscape. The two clubs boast immense history domestically and across Africa, which makes competing with them a daunting task, demanding relentless toil and dedication from anyone hoping to close the gap.
Pyramids, meanwhile, have been fighting to carve out their place in Egyptian and African football, ultimately achieving a breakthrough last season by winning the CAF Champions League, which also qualified them for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025™.
They have not rested on their laurels this season, continuing their trophy haul by capturing the African Super Cup as well as the FIFA Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup™ after a thrilling, dominant win over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah. That victory now sets up a showdown with Brazil’s Flamengo for the FIFA Challenger Cup™ at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
Ahmed El Shenawy is one of the chief architects of Pyramids’ recent success. His commanding presence, lightning-quick reflexes and match-winning saves have given the club the upper hand on the pitch – as assistant coach Mohamed Nagy Gedo emphasised in a TV interview after the win over Al Ahli – and he was nominated for the 2025 CAF Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
FIFA caught up with El Shenawy, who explained the reasons for the Pyramids’ stellar form in recent months, the club’s aspirations against Flamengo and his desire to make amends to Egyptian fans after the national team’s underwhelming FIFA Arab Cup™ campaign, while also appealing for support from the stands.
Ahmed El Shenawy: The Intercontinental Cup is a monumental tournament, and we are honoured to be taking part. Our ambition is to deliver a strong performance in the next match because we got here by winning the African title. We worked incredibly hard to earn that. All the players are fully focused on the match ahead. We hope to win and reach the final – that’s something we want for our club and for our country.
Standing on the podium gives you a special feeling. We hope luck will be on our side (against Flamengo) to win the Challenger Cup – it would be a fantastic achievement. This is our first time in the tournament, and God willing, it won’t be our last. But right now, we’re aiming to win the title, which would be a major milestone for us.
It’s impossible to predict. When you reach this stage, it means you’ll be facing a formidable, experienced, high-calibre opponent. So we’re taking it game by game and studying our rivals well to understand their strengths and weaknesses. They (Flamengo) are a strong team, and we’re also a strong team. Whichever team is the best on the pitch will prevail.
We watched their match against Cruz Azul. They look organised, with quality players and plenty of experience, which will make it a tough match. But we’re a complete team, united with one heartbeat, and everyone works for the good of the group. I hope we can put in a performance worthy of Egypt’s name.
It’s great to be in Qatar. The reception has been brilliant, and the people are so kind. I’d love to play in more Arab countries – it’s something I take pride in as an Egyptian and an Arab. Playing in Qatar is definitely a positive for us. Qatar always hosts the most important tournaments, and there’s a large Egyptian community here. I hope they support us just as they supported the national team, and I hope they fill the stands to cheer on Pyramids, because we’re representing Egypt.
Stability is the most important factor in success. The club is stable administratively, athletically and financially, and it gives us with everything we need. I think we’re the best club in terms of stability, and that motivates you as a player and gives you the tools for success. That’s been clear over the last year and a half as we’ve won four trophies, including three continental titles. I hope we achieve even more success at Pyramids, because the players deserve it, the coaching staff are exceptional, and the management is terrific.
When you reach this stage, of course you dream of reaching the final. Paris Saint-Germain are the champions of Europe and France, so facing them would be incredible. Right now, our focus has to be on Flamengo, and God willing, we’ll get the win. But without a doubt, there’s a desire within the club to reach the final so that we can write a new chapter in Pyramids’ history and for Egyptian football as a whole.
We say “hard luck” to the national team. We all hoped for better results, but God’s will be done. We’ve spoken among ourselves as players, and what happened has given us even more motivation to fight because we’re representing Egypt. We’ll give 100-per-cent effort to make it up to Egyptian fans.
I thank him for his kind words. We operate as a team, and there are many reasons for our success – I’m only one of them, and it’s God who has helped me. I’m used to pressure and big challenges. I’ve played for clubs with massive fanbases. Pyramids may not have the same level of popular support, but the desire to win trophies provides the same motivation. That’s why we want to go as far as possible in this tournament, to achieve something unprecedented for Egyptian football.
