African Super Cup Showdown: Berkane’s Star Shines While Pyramids Lead the Money Race
12 October 2025
Match worth watching
Pyramids FC are gearing up for a high-stakes African Super Cup final against RS Berkane on Saturday evening at Cairo’s Air Defense Stadium, a clash steeped in history and a hint of revenge for the Egyptian side.
Pyramids arrive as CAF Champions League holders, having broken new ground for the club, while Berkane clinched the CAF Confederation Cup after a standout season on both local and continental stages.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded the hosting duties to Pyramids as the Champions League winners, marking the first time Egypt hosts the competition since 2014. The Sky Blues hope to lift the trophy in front of their home fans.
Valuations on the rise
Pyramids boast a pronounced economic edge, with Transfermarkt valuing the club at around €22.5 million. The top asset is Brazilian Everton, valued at €2.8 million, followed by Veston Maiyli at €1.8 million.
RS Berkane, meanwhile, is estimated at about €18.06 million, with Moroccan star Mounir Souair priced at €3 million and Ismail Kandous at €2 million.
A score to settle
The meeting offers a chance for Pyramids to avenge their 2020 Confederation Cup final defeat to Berkane, when Youssouf Daio scored the decisive goal in Rabat. Beyond revenge, Pyramids chase a fourth career trophy after recent CAF Champions League, Egypt Cup, and a club World Cup campaign.
RS Berkane pushes to maintain continental momentum after winning the Moroccan league under Tunisian coach Mehdi Mehdi El-Shaabani and adding the Confederation Cup to their cabinet, underscoring their recent domestic and regional dominance.
Whistle and VAR
The match is overseen by a Sudanese refereeing quartet led by Mahmoud Ismail, with Mohammed Abdullah and Gilbert Shiruye as assistants and Abdel Aziz Bouh as the fourth official. The VAR team is led by Ghanaian Daniel Laryea, with Tom Abounjiel and Kenyan Steven Onyango assisting.
Intercontinental Cup note
In other developments, FIFA announced that Qatar will host the final three rounds of the annual Intercontinental Cup 2025, with Pyramids participating. The knockout stages begin on 10 December, culminating in the world club final on 17 December, where the winner could meet Paris Saint‑Germain, the European champion, for the world title. Qatar previously hosted the competition in 2019, 2020, and 2024, including the famous Lusail Stadium finale.
Pyramids reached this stage after their CAF Champions League triumph and a 3-0 Cairo win over Auckland City, followed by a 3-1 success against Al Ahli Jeddah in Jeddah. The club’s longer-term ambition, as ever, is to cement a foothold among Africa’s and the world’s elite.
From Al-Assiouti to Pyramids: the ascent
The club’s modern story began in 2008 as Al-Assiouti SC, founded by Mohammed Al-Assiouti and climbing from the fourth tier to the Egyptian top flight by 2014/15, before a brief setback and a revival in 2017/2018. In 2018, Turki Al-Sheikh acquired ownership, rented Cairo’s Air Defense Stadium, and installed Hossam El-Badry as president, Hadi Khashaba in charge of football, and Ahmed Hassan as general manager and spokesperson. The team surged to third in the league and reached the Confederation Cup final, losing to Berkane before a 2019 sale to UAE investor Salem Al-Somaishi helped build the club’s modern era. In the years that followed, Pyramids finished second in the league three times and claimed Egypt Cup, CAF Champions League, and multiple cup titles, underpinning their status as a rising force in Egyptian and African football.
And now, in pursuit of global stature, the club’s owners and management see a golden moment to anchor Pyramids among Africa’s and the world’s elite, backed by a recent stream of domestic and continental successes.
Two light-hearted punchlines to close: 1) If this final had a dating profile, it would say “seeking commitment, not a one-night stand with the trophy.” 2) They say revenge is a dish best served cold; in football, it’s usually served with a side of extra time and a splash of drama.
