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Sport

Ewan Gennery

Algeria World Cup 2026 squad: Vladimir Petkovic's 26-man selection as Argentina await

Algeria World Cup World Cup 2026 Islam Slimani Riyad Mahrez Constantine GK (Organization) the Premier League

Algeria World Cup 2026 squad: Riyad Mahrez in action for Algeria against Burkina Faso at the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2024.

The Algeria World Cup 2026 squad will be the first to represent the nation at the World Cup since 2014.

World Cup 2026 Group I will get underway with Algeria taking on world champions and always-fancied Argentina at Arrowhead Stadium.

Vladimir Petkovic, Algeria's Bosnian coach, will lead a squad with a point to prove after missing the World Cup in both 2018 and 2022. Fixtures against Argentina, Jordan and Austria make for a tough group – but one they should be able to negotiate.

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Algeria had a busy December and January. They topped their group at the Arab Cup before losing on penalties to the United Arab Emirates in the second round, followed by the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

They won their group there too, going on to beat DR Congo in the round of 16 but lose 2-0 to Nigeria in the quarter-finals. A big win over Guatemala and a draw with Uruguay followed in Algeria's March friendlies, while a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands at the start of June supercharged their preparations.

Riyad Mahrez will finally get his shot on a truly world stage after lighting it up in the Premier League and Champions League for several years, before a move to the Middle East.

He has an exciting supporting cast that includes Premier League star Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marseille forward Amine Gouiri and Luca Zidane, Zinedine's goalkeeping son. Zidane has been selected despite breaking his jaw and chin in April.

Mood

Algeria may be the ultimate unknown quantity at this World Cup. There is little certainty how this team will perform even among the players themselves, let alone the nation’s devoted fans.

On paper, the Fennecs have pace, technique and creativity across almost every position. Yet that same set of players can also be maddeningly inconsistent. At the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, they eased to three group wins from three, but then laboured against DR Congo in the last 16 and barely laid a glove on Nigeria in the quarter-finals.

Such unpredictability makes them dangerous, and a lot of fun.

Lesson from qualifying

The abundantly clear importance of Wolfsburg forward Mohamed Amoura. The 25-year-old plundered 10 of the Fennecs’ 24 goals – no other player managed more than three.

Squad

Algeria's World Cup 2026 squad: The final selection

GK: Melvin Mastil (Stade Nyonnais)
GK: Oussama Benbot (USM Alger)
GK: Luca Zidane (Granada)
DF: Aïssa Mandi (Lille)
DF: Achref Abada (USM Alger)
DF: Mohamed Amine Tougai (Espérance de Tunis)
DF: Zineddine Belaïd (JS Kabylie)
DF: Jaouen Hadjam (Young Boys)
DF: Rayan Aït-Nouri (Manchester City)
DF: Rafik Belghali (Hellas Verona)
DF: Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund)
DF: Samir Chergui (Paris)
MF: Ramiz Zerrouki (Twente)
MF: Houssem Aouar (Al-Ittihad)
MF: Farès Chaïbi (Eintracht Frankfurt)
MF: Hicham Boudaoui (Nice)
MF: Nabil Bentaleb (Lille)
MF: Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen)
MF: Yacine Titraoui (Charleroi)
FW: Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli)
FW: Amine Gouiri (Marseille)
FW: Anis Hadj Moussa (Feyenoord)
FW: Nadhir Benbouali (Győr)
FW: Mohamed Amoura (VfL Wolfsburg)
FW: Adil Boulbina (Al-Duhail)
FW: Farès Ghedjemis (Frosinone)

Fixtures

June 16, 2026: Argentina vs Algeria , Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City, United States
June 22, 2026: Jordan vs Algeria , Levi's Stadium , Santa Clara, United States
June 27, 2026: Algeria vs Austria , Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, United States

Group J standings

Algeria are in Group J at World Cup 2026.

Manager

Who is Algeria's manager?

Vladimir Petkovic is undertaking his second international management role in the shape of Algeria.

Between 2014 and 2021 he was in charge of the Swiss national team, leading them in the 2016 and delayed 2020 European Championships, as well as the 2018 World Cup.

He's been in charge of Algeria since February 2024 after they parted with Djamel Belmadi following a second consecutive AFCON where they failed to make it out the group.

Star player

Who is Algeria's star player?

Riyad Mahrez in action for Algeria against Angola at the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images)

For many years Riyad Mahrez lit up the Premier League. In 2016, he was part of the Leicester side who achieved the unthinkable in winning England's top flight, and was named the PFA Player of the Year after recording 17 goals and 10 assists.

He now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Ahli and won the AFC Champions League with them in the 2024-25 season.

He's still the lynchpin of this Algeria side, and much of their success on the pitch comes when he is playing well.