_Algeria World Cup 2026_ Full Squad List, Group I
Algeria 2026 World Cup squad
Most outlets now converge on a 26‑man Algeria squad built around Mahrez, Amoura and a strong Europe‑based core.[^4][^5][^6]
Goalkeepers[^6][^4]
- Anthony Mandrea (SM Caen)
- Luca Zidane (Granada)
- Oussama Benbot (USM Alger)
Defenders[^4][^6]
- Aïssa Mandi (Lille)
- Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund)
- Rayan Aït‑Nouri (Manchester City)
- Mehdi Dorval (Bari)
- Mohamed Amine Tougaï (Espérance de Tunis)
- Zineddine Belaïd (JS Kabylie)
- Rafik Belghali (Hellas Verona)
- Jaouen Hadjam (Young Boys)
- Youcef Atal (Al‑Sadd)
Midfielders[^7][^6][^4]
- Ismaël Bennacer (Dinamo Zagreb)
- Hicham Boudaoui (Nice)
- Ramiz Zerrouki (Twente)
- Farès Chaïbi (Eintracht Frankfurt)
- Houssem Aouar (Al‑Ittihad)
- Adam Zorgane (Union Saint‑Gilloise)
- Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Ahmed Kendouci (Ceramica Cleopatra)
Forwards[^6][^4]
- Riyad Mahrez (Al‑Ahli) – captain
- Mohamed Amoura (Wolfsburg)
- Amine Gouiri (Marseille)
- Anis Hadj Moussa (Feyenoord)
- Baghdad Bounedjah (Al‑Shamal)
- Adil Boulbina (Al‑Duhail)
(FAF’s official list has been published as a 27‑man preliminary with four keepers; three of the four GKs will be registered, but the above 26‑player core is consistent across major outlets.)[^5][^7][^6]
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Algeria’s Group J fixtures (Argentina, Austria, Jordan)
Algeria are in Group J, with matches in Kansas City and Santa Clara.[^2][^8][^3]
| Match | Date 2026 | Venue (local) | Local KO time* | Reference |
| :– | :– | :– | :– | :– |
| Argentina vs Algeria | 16 June | GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City (USA) | 20:00 local (UTC−5) | [^8][^3] |
| Jordan vs Algeria | 22 June | Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara (USA) | 20:00 local (UTC−7) | [^8][^3] |
| Algeria vs Austria | 27 June | GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City (USA) | 21:00 local (UTC−5) | [^3][^9] |
\*ESPN and AS also quote these as 9 p.m. / 11 p.m. / 10 p.m. Eastern Time respectively, which lines up with the local‑time listings above.[^8][^4]
In the expanded 48‑team format, top two automatically qualify and the eight best third‑placed sides across the 12 groups also advance to the round of 32, so finishing third can still be enough to get out of the group.[^2][^8]
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Group I fixtures (France, Norway, Senegal, Iraq)
Group I is a separate group: France, Senegal, Iraq and Norway, played mainly on the US East Coast (New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania) plus Toronto.[^10][^11][^1]
From FIFA, Wikipedia and schedule pieces (kick‑off times in Eastern Time where available):[^11][^1][^8]
| Match | Expected date 2026 | Venue | KO time (ET)* | Notes |
| :– | :– | :– | :– | :– |
| France vs Senegal | 16 June | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey | 15:00 ET | Listed as 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET in UK \& US schedules.[^11][^8] |
| Iraq vs Norway | 16 June | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts | 18:00 ET | ESPN schedule, same day as France–Senegal.[^8][^10] |
| France vs Iraq | 22 June | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 17:00 ET | Shown as 10 p.m. BST / 5 p.m. ET.[^8][^11] |
| Norway vs Senegal | 22–23 June | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey | 20:00 ET | Listed as 8 p.m. ET (1 a.m. BST following day).[^8][^11] |
| Norway vs France | 26 June | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts | TBC | Fixture confirmed, FIFA yet to publish exact KO in some public summaries.[^10][^11] |
| Senegal vs Iraq | 26 June | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | TBC | Fixture and venue confirmed, time not consistently listed yet.[^10] |
\*Times may shift slightly in later FIFA schedule updates; for betting/content it’s worth re‑checking closer to the tournament.
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Manager and tactical setup
- Head coach: Vladimir Petković (Bosnian‑Swiss), appointed in 2024 after Djamel Belmadi.[^12][^13][^7]
- He previously led Switzerland to the knockouts at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, which is why Algerian media and CAF pieces describe him as a proven international tournament coach.[^13][^14]
Tactically:
- Several previews describe Algeria under Petković as “control‑based”, leaning on technical midfielders to dictate tempo rather than pure transition football.[^14][^15]
- They are commonly listed in a 4‑3‑3 or 4‑2‑3‑1: Goal’s predicted XI uses a 4‑3‑3 (Zidane; Belghali, Mandi, Bensebaini, Aït‑Nouri; Boudaoui, Bennacer, Chaïbi; Mahrez, Maza, Amoura), while betting previews and odds analysis call their default shape a 4‑2‑3‑1 with a double pivot.[^16][^15][^12]
- Wide play is built around Riyad Mahrez cutting in from the right, with Amoura either as a central 9 or left‑sider attacking the space, and full‑backs Aït‑Nouri/Belghali giving width.[^17][^16]
- In CAF qualifying they were comfortable playing higher up the pitch, pressing selectively and relying on combination play between Mahrez, Gouiri and the advanced 8/10s (Chaïbi, Maza) to break lines.[^3][^15]
For content: the easy shorthand is Petković’s Algeria = possession‑leaning 4‑3‑3/4‑2‑3‑1, Mahrez as primary creator, Amoura providing depth and chaos, double pivot anchoring.[^15][^16][^12]
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Key players to watch
Riyad Mahrez (RW)
- Captain, all‑time talisman, and still the primary creative outlet.[^7][^12]
- Has 38 goals in 114 caps for Algeria and is expected to remain first‑choice penalty taker and set‑piece specialist.[^12][^7]
Mohamed Amoura (ST/WF)
- Wolfsburg forward who absolutely dominated CAF Group G qualifying with 10 goals in 10 games.[^18][^3]
- Previews highlight him as Algeria’s true goal threat heading into 2026, even more than Mahrez, given that Mahrez scored just once in eight qualifiers.[^3][^15]
Rayan Aït‑Nouri (LB)
- Left‑back now at Manchester City, rated among Algeria’s most valuable assets (transfer‑valuation pieces quote him around the €40m bracket).[^19][^14]
- Offers progressive carrying and attacking output from deep, key for Petković’s build‑up.[^14]
Ibrahim Maza (AM/CM)
- Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, regularly tagged as one of North Africa’s brightest young talents.[^3][^6]
- Stepped up at AFCON with goals and an assist, and is expected to be a core part of the 2026 creative structure.[^12][^3]
Ismaël Bennacer / Ramiz Zerrouki / Hicham Boudaoui (CM/DM core)
- Bennacer (Dinamo Zagreb), Zerrouki (Twente) and Boudaoui (Nice) give Algeria a technical but hard‑working midfield, underpinning the control‑based approach noted in betting previews.[^15][^4]
Defensive spine: Aïssa Mandi \& Ramy Bensebaini
- Mandi (Lille) is Algeria’s most‑capped player and the defensive leader; Bensebaini (Dortmund) adds aerial presence and left‑footed build‑up.[^4][^7]
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World Cup history and best result
- Appearances: 5 World Cups – 1982, 1986, 2010, 2014 and now 2026.[^7][^14]
- Best result: Round of 16 in 2014, where they took eventual champions Germany to extra time before losing 2–1.[^16][^3]
- In their debut in 1982, they beat West Germany 2–1 in one of the tournament’s iconic upsets, but were eliminated after the infamous “Disgrace of Gijón” match between West Germany and Austria.[^20][^7]
- They failed to get out of the group in 1982, 1986 and 2010, and did not qualify at all for 2018 and 2022, making 2026 their first World Cup in 12 years.[^7][^3]
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2026 qualifying campaign (CAF Group G)
Algeria qualified via CAF Group G, topping a six‑team group with a very strong record.[^21][^22][^3]
- Group opponents: Somalia, Mozambique, Guinea, Uganda and Botswana.[^21][^3]
- Final record: 10 games – 8 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 24 scored, 8 conceded, 25 points, finishing seven points clear of second‑placed Uganda.[^23][^21][^3]
- Results list (per detailed recap): wins home and away vs Mozambique and Botswana, home and away vs Somalia, a key away win in Uganda, a home defeat to Guinea and a goalless draw away to Guinea.[^3]
- Leading scorer: Mohamed Amoura with 10 goals in the group, highlighted repeatedly in CAF and betting content.[^18][^15][^3]
Narrative‑wise, they started with a wobble (home loss to Guinea), then went on a long unbeaten run to clinch qualification with a 3–0 away win over Somalia in October 2025.[^24][^25][^3]
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Odds to qualify from Group J
Market snapshot (as of early June 2026):
- Outright winner prices on Algeria range around 400/1 to 350/1 (decimal ~351.0–401.0) at some books, underlining that they are seen as long shots to win the whole tournament.[^26][^27][^12]
- For advancing from the group stage (to the round of 32), a FOX odds round‑up lists Algeria at roughly −310 to qualify, i.e. you stake 310 to win 100 (decimal ~1.32), lumping them in with mid‑tier teams expected to progress.[^28]
- A specialist World Cup betting site cites 2.5 (6/4) on Betway for Algeria “to qualify from Group J”, suggesting some operators are more cautious and see them closer to a coin‑flip behind Argentina and in a fight with Austria.[^29][^15]
Given the format (three games; best eight third‑placed teams also advance) and the pricing, the market view is roughly:
- Argentina huge favourite to win Group J.[^2][^15]
- Austria and Algeria priced in a similar band for the second automatic spot and/or a strong third‑place bid.[^30][^15]
- Jordan clear outsider, but dangerous in single‑game variance.[^15][^2]
For your betting/affiliate content, you can credibly frame Algeria as a live contender to qualify (market‑implied ~60–75% range depending on book and timing), but a very remote outright winner, with Amoura and Mahrez as the obvious hooks for props and player markets.[^28][^12][^3]
