On 1 February 2012, following a league match between Al Masry and Al Ahly, the incidents of Port Said Stadium riot occurred which resulted in the death of 72 Al Ahly fans, alongside 1 Al Masry supporter and 1 police officer, making it the deadliest tragedy in Egyptian sporting history. The stadium was banned from hosting any official football matches as a result, with an exception made in 2018 when the stadium hosted all Al Masry home fixtures in their CAF Confederation Cup campaigns during the 2018 and 2018–19 seasons. The last official match hosted by the stadium was played on 15 December 2018, a 2–0 defeat for Al Masry against Burkinabé side Salitas.