A new 44-k seat home stadium for Al Ahly will anchor a world-class city in Sheikh Zayed that is being brought together by a consortium of more than a dozen companies led by Al Qalaa Al Hamra Co. and exclusively advised by our friends at Beltone Investment Banking, according to a statement. Al Qalaa Al Hamra made the announcement at an event last night.

The complex will cost north of EGP 12 bn to build out over the course of four years, we’re told, and will be built across two phases.

Advised by Beltone, the Qalaa Al Hamra group has a 25-year agreement that will see it finance, build, develop, operate, and market the new venue, named Al Ahly Club Sports City. In addition to the stadium, the city will include an Ahly Club museum, university, school, and a hotel as well as a hospital with a focus on sports medicine. The aim is to serve a wide range of community needs, Al Qalaa Al Hamra says.

A bunch of familiar faces: Al Qalaa Al Hamra’s board is chaired by long-time sports and commercial management expert Mohamed Kamel, and has a number of familiar faces sitting on it like former education minister Tarek Shawki and former planning minister Ashraf El Arabi. Check out the full board here (pdf).

The players: The 15-company global consortium includes the UAE’s Palm Sports, global hospitality brand Hilton, Alexandria Medical Services Company, engineering firm ACE Moharram-Bakhoum, Hill International, Boogertman + Partners, ECG, Distance Studio Consultants, Abnaa Sinai, and UAE-based Trojan Construction Group.

The key message: It’s a more than USD 250 mn vote of confidence in Egypt’s sports industry and the economy’s direction of travel. “This is case of global and local brands working together to set a new standard for sports, education, and hospitality in Egypt,” a consortium member told us. Al Ahly Club will retain full ownership of the land on which the complex will be built.

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