A large number of clubs did not enter the competition due to various reasons, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt, alongside other reasons such as financial status. Only 156 clubs registered to participate in this season's qualifying rounds, 74 less than the previous season. This led the Egyptian Football Association to reduce the number of the qualifying rounds to four rounds only instead of five, with participating teams from the 2020–21 Egyptian Second Division entering at the second preliminary round instead of the third.
The First Preliminary Round fixtures were played on 12 and 13 January 2021. A total of 112 teams from the Egyptian Third Division and the Egyptian Fourth Division entered at this stage of the competition. The results were as follows:[2][3]
The Second Preliminary Round fixtures were played between 17 and 26 January 2021. A total of 44 teams from the Egyptian Second Division entered at this stage of the competition. The results were as follows:[4][5]
Winners from the Fourth Preliminary Round advanced to the Round of 32, where teams from the Egyptian Premier League will enter the competition.
Notes
^ abOnly 1 team was initially supposed to receive a bye for the first preliminary round. However, following the draw for this round, it was revealed that Akhmim (a team from the Egyptian Third Division) was not included in the draw pots due to a registration error, despite the club paying the entrance fee to participate in the Egypt Cup.[1] As a result, the Egyptian Football Association allowed Akmim to enter the competition from the second preliminary round, thus giving it a bye for the previous round.
^The MS Sidi Ghazi v Baltim match, originally scheduled to be played on 19 January 2021, was postponed due to security concerns.[6] The match was later rescheduled to be played on 26 January 2021.