Vladimir Petković confirmed the Algeria World Cup Squad 2026 on May 31, naming Riyad Mahrez as captain for the Desert Foxes’ return to the global stage after a 12-year absence. Algeria are back at a World Cup for the first time since 2014. The squad’s biggest talking point: Ismaël Bennacer left out, with Nabil Bentaleb preferred in midfield ahead of the tournament.
Algeria arrive ranked 28th in the world as of April 1, 2026, making their fifth World Cup appearance. Petković’s selection blends European pedigree from Rayan Aït-Nouri (Manchester City), Ramy Bensebaïni (Borussia Dortmund), and Amine Gouiri (Marseille) with 20-year-old Ibrahim Maza of Bayer Leverkusen as the squad’s youngest player. Group J pits them straight against defending champions Argentina on June 16 in Kansas City.
Here is your full Algeria squad list, schedule, and key player breakdown for the 2026 tournament.
Algeria 26-Player Squad for World Cup 2026
| Position | Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Luca Zidane | Granada | 28 |
| GK | Oussama Benbot | USM Alger | 31 |
| GK | Melvin Mastil | Stade Nyonnais | 25 |
| DF | Aïssa Mandi | Lille | 34 |
| DF | Ramy Bensebaïni | Borussia Dortmund | 31 |
| DF | Rayan Aït-Nouri | Manchester City | 25 |
| DF | Rafik Belghali | Hellas Verona | 23 |
| DF | Samir Chergui | Red Star FC | 27 |
| DF | Jaouen Hadjam | Young Boys | 23 |
| DF | Zineddine Belaïd | JS Kabylie | 27 |
| DF | Achref Abada | USM Alger | 26 |
| DF | Mohamed Amine Tougaï | Espérance de Tunis | 26 |
| MF | Nabil Bentaleb | Lille | 31 |
| MF | Hicham Boudaoui | Nice | 26 |
| MF | Houssem Aouar | Al-Ittihad | 27 |
| MF | Farès Chaïbi | Eintracht Frankfurt | 25 |
| MF | Ibrahim Maza | Bayer Leverkusen | 20 |
| MF | Yacine Titraoui | Charleroi | 22 |
| MF | Ramiz Zerrouki | FC Twente (on loan from Feyenoord) | 27 |
| FW | Riyad Mahrez (C) | Al-Ahli | 35 |
| FW | Mohamed Amoura | VfL Wolfsburg | 25 |
| FW | Amine Gouiri | Marseille | 26 |
| FW | Anis Hadj Moussa | Feyenoord | 24 |
| FW | Adil Boulbina | Al-Duhail | 23 |
| FW | Nadhir Benbouali | Győr | 26 |
| FW | Farès Ghedjemis | Frosinone | 23 |
For all 48 team rosters, see our World Cup 2026 squads hub.
Quick Stats
A snapshot of the key numbers in Petković’s final 26.
- Average age: 26.4 years
- Youngest player: Ibrahim Maza (20)
- Oldest player: Riyad Mahrez (35)
- Most-capped player: Aïssa Mandi (116 caps)
- Premier League players: 1 (Rayan Aït-Nouri, Manchester City)
- Bundesliga players: 3 (Maza, Chaïbi, Amoura)
- Ligue 1 players: 3 (Mandi, Bentaleb, Gouiri)
- Top qualifying scorer: Mohamed Amoura (10 goals in CAF Group G)
- Notable omission: Ismaël Bennacer (AC Milan)
Algeria World Cup 2026 Key Players to Watch
Riyad Mahrez (C) | Al-Ahli
Mahrez is Algeria’s captain and biggest name at 35 and 113 caps. This is almost certainly his final World Cup. He won the Champions League with Manchester City in 2023, then moved to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, where he added the AFC Champions League title in 2024-25. Petković builds everything around him. When Mahrez runs at defenders, Algeria attack.
Aïssa Mandi | Lille
Mandi holds the record for Algeria’s most international appearances with 116 caps. At 34, the Lille centre-back is still the best organiser in this defence. He reads the game early, wins headers, and marshals the back line with a calmness the younger defenders around him will rely on. Algeria’s defensive stability depends on him staying fit.
Rayan Aït-Nouri | Manchester City
Aït-Nouri is the squad’s most dynamic attacking outlet at 25. The Manchester City left-back has become one of the most effective attacking full-backs in the Premier League, combining pace with a sharp left foot. He gets forward like a winger and every dangerous Algeria build in qualifying ran through his channel on the left flank.
Mohamed Amoura | VfL Wolfsburg
Amoura topped Algeria’s qualifying scorers with 10 goals in CAF Group G. The Wolfsburg striker combines pace with clinical finishing and scored two penalties in the final qualifying match to seal the win over Uganda. He carries Algeria’s clearest goal threat in the United States and leads the line in all three group stage matches.
Ibrahim Maza | Bayer Leverkusen
Maza is 20 and the squad’s most exciting long-term asset. The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder carries the ball through tight spaces, plays under pressure without losing it, and picks passes that more experienced players miss. Petković will manage his minutes carefully, but Maza is the kind of player who changes games when they need it most.
Algeria World Cup 2026 Schedule
Algeria play all three group stage matches in the United States. Kick-off times are listed in Eastern Time (ET) and Central European Time (CET) for fans in Algeria.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Kickoff (ET) | Kickoff (CET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2026 | Argentina | Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), Kansas City, MO | 9:00 PM | Jun 17, 2:00 AM |
| Jun 22, 2026 | Jordan | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s Stadium), Santa Clara, CA | 11:00 PM | Jun 23, 4:00 AM |
| Jun 27, 2026 | Austria | Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), Kansas City, MO | 10:00 PM | Jun 28, 3:00 AM |
All kick-off times follow the official FIFA match schedule, confirmed from the December 5, 2025 group draw. Algeria’s final pre-tournament friendly was against the Netherlands in Rotterdam on June 3, 2026. In March, Algeria beat Guatemala 7-0 and drew 0-0 with Uruguay in back-to-back warm-up games in Italy.
Check the full 2026 World Cup schedule for knockout round dates and kick-off times.
How Algeria Qualified for World Cup 2026
Algeria came through CAF Group G qualifying alongside Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, and Somalia. Ten matches, eight wins, one draw, one loss. Their only defeat came away to Guinea, the one blot on an otherwise commanding campaign. Algeria bounced back with four consecutive wins to put the group beyond doubt.
Mohamed Amoura drove the campaign. The Wolfsburg striker finished as Algeria’s top scorer with 10 goals, including two penalties in the final qualifying match that sealed a 2-1 home win over Uganda. He made a direct case for a starting role in the World Cup XI with almost every game he played during the qualifying run.
Algeria clinched their place at the 2026 World Cup on October 9, 2025, with a 3-0 win over Somalia. Mahrez scored and set up two Amoura goals. They completed the group with that Uganda win five days later, finishing seven points clear of second-placed Uganda with 25 points and a goal difference of plus 16.
Head Coach: Vladimir Petković
Vladimir Petković is a 62-year-old Bosnian-Swiss coach who took the Algeria job on February 29, 2024, replacing Djamel Belmadi after Algeria’s second consecutive AFCON group-stage exit. His task was straightforward: qualify for the World Cup and rebuild national confidence after two painful early AFCON eliminations.
Petković built his reputation with Switzerland from 2014 to 2021, guiding the Swiss to the knockout stages at Euro 2016, the 2018 World Cup, and the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. At Euro 2020 in Bucharest, Switzerland beat world champions France 5-4 on penalties in a Round of 16 match that announced Petković as one of the game’s more tactically astute coaches.
His preferred system with Algeria is a 4-2-3-1 built around Mahrez’s creativity behind the striker and Amoura’s movement. He won 15 of 20 matches since taking charge, including the perfect qualifying campaign. He knows what it takes to beat world champions. Whether he can do it with Algeria against Argentina on June 16 is the tournament’s opening question for Group J.
Group J at a Glance
Algeria land in a group with the defending champions and two other teams with serious European pedigree. Here is how Group J looks going into the tournament.
| Team | FIFA Ranking | World Cup Appearances | Best Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 3rd | 19 (1930–2022) | Champions (1978, 1986, 2022) |
| Algeria | 28th | 4 (1982–2014) | Round of 16 (2014) |
| Austria | 24th | 7 (1934–1998) | Third place (1954) |
| Jordan | 66th* | 0 | Debut (2026) |
Argentina, Algeria, and Austria rankings from the April 1, 2026 FIFA update. *Jordan ranking from November 2025 draw seedings. World Cup appearances are pre-2026 figures.
Argentina are the dominant force in this group. Algeria’s realistic aim is second place. Austria are the main obstacle to that goal. The two sides have met once at a World Cup before, in 1982 in Spain, when Algeria won 2-0 against Austria in the group stage. Debutants Jordan represent Algeria’s best chance of a straightforward win. See the full Group J breakdown at the 2026 World Cup groups hub.
FAQ About Algeria World Cup Squad 2026
Has Algeria ever beaten Argentina in a competitive match?
No. The two nations have met only once in history, a 4-3 friendly win for Argentina in 2007. June 16 in Kansas City will be the first-ever competitive meeting between Algeria and the defending world champions. Algeria have never beaten Argentina.
What formation does Algeria play under Petković?
Petković uses a 4-2-3-1 with Mahrez operating behind the striker in the number ten role. Aït-Nouri pushes forward from left-back like a winger. Amoura leads the line as the focal point. Zerrouki and Bentaleb screen from a double pivot when Algeria are without the ball, keeping the defensive shape compact under pressure.
What channel shows Algeria’s 2026 World Cup matches in the United States?
Algeria’s group stage matches air on Fox Sports in English in the United States, with Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo. Peacock carries streaming rights for all games. Fox and Telemundo hold the full US broadcast rights for the 2026 tournament.
What is Algeria’s nickname?
Algeria are known as the Desert Foxes in English and Les Verts (The Greens) in French, a reference to the country’s traditional green home kit. The nickname has been used since Algeria’s earliest international appearances in the 1960s and remains the most widely recognised name for the national team outside Algeria.
What is Algeria’s FIFA ranking going into the 2026 World Cup?
Algeria are ranked 28th in the world as of the April 1, 2026 FIFA update. They entered qualifying ranked considerably lower and climbed steadily with a nine-match unbeaten run. The next ranking update is scheduled for June 9, 2026, two days before the tournament kicks off.
Algeria’s World Cup 2026 Hopes
The Algeria World Cup Squad 2026 carries serious experience alongside genuine youth. Mahrez and Mandi give the team a world-class leadership core. Amoura provides a goal threat that will trouble Group J defences. Aït-Nouri and Maza give Petković pace and quality in wide areas that can shift games. Algeria won’t win Group J. They could absolutely finish second.
Qualifying second in Group J would set up a Round of 32 meeting with a Group H team. A run to the Round of 16 would match Algeria’s best-ever World Cup result from 2014. This squad has the depth and the hunger to go that far. At 35, Mahrez is playing for history. That matters in knockout football, and it’s enough of a reason to back Algeria to make it past the group stage.
