Egypt’s El Wakeel Law Firm was called in to advise Egyptian football club Al Ahly on its stadium naming rights deal with telecoms giant Vodafone.
El Wakeel says the deal is the first of its kind in the Middle East for a club-owned stadium and the highest value sports sponsorship agreement ever completed in Egypt. The firm, led by managing partner Tamer El Wakeel, acted as legal counsel to Al Ahly Sports Facilities Company, leaning on its structuring, negotiating, drafting and transaction management expertise.
The firm says the deal has implications for how Egyptian and Gulf sports clubs monetise their assets going forward.
It said: “This achievement further reinforces El Wakeel Law Firm’s position as a trusted legal partner for leading sports institutions and major corporations, with a proven ability to deliver sophisticated legal solutions for transformational transactions that shape the future of sports investment across Egypt and the wider region.”
Cairo-based Al Ahly is Egypt’s most successful football club, winning 45 league titles since 1949, including eight over the past decade. Construction on the club’s new 42,000-capacity stadium began in February 2025.
Al Ahly president Mahmoud El Khatib said the club’s strategic partnership with Vodafone brings the completion of the stadium project closer to reality. The stadium is slated for completion in 2029.
It currently plays its matches at the Cairo International Stadium, sharing its home with Egypt’s national team.
El Wakeel also advised Al Ahly in negotiations related to the club’s new sporting facilities branch in New Mansoura City, an urban development project on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. The facilities will include a clubhouse, admin building, two swimming pool complexes, four football pitches, four basketball courts, four volleyball courts, four handball courts, tennis courts, a gym and dedicated buildings for youth teams and academies, the club said in a statement.
The club said: “The New Mansoura branch is part of Al Ahly’s strategy to expand its facilities and develop a modern model for sports and social clubs in line with the state’s urban development plans and the construction of new cities.”
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