The head coach of Algeria's Swiss national football team, Vladimir Petkovic, has announced the final official list of 26 players who will represent the "Desert Warriors" at the 2026 World Cup finals.
The Swiss coach's stamp on five notable surprises sparked a storm of controversy in sports circles and in the Algerian media, after he excluded key pillars and invited young and new faces for the first time.
Controversial options in defense and attack
The first surprises came in the front line and before the World Cup, where Petkovic decided to drop the name of the star of the French league Ilan Kabal from his final calculations, replacing him with the rookie player Fares Gjimis, who recently qualified for the Italian league with Frosinone.
The Greens' technical staff also continued its bold choices by excluding the experienced duo, Milan's Italian midfielder Ismail Ben Nasser, and veteran striker Baghdad Bounedjah, a decision that came as a shock to the fans given the strategic weight of the players in major tournaments.
On the defensive level, the Swiss coach preferred to use the services of Esperance's central defender, Mohamed Lamine Togay, to bolster the back line, while he blew up a surprise of a heavy calibre in goalkeeping by calling up four goalkeepers at once, led by young goalkeeper Abdellatif Ramadan, who has not made any previous official international or friendly appearances with the first team in his career.
The usual pillars of the "Greens" to lead the World Cup dream
The rest of the roster, on the other hand, has retained the usual names that make up the main structure of the national team, with veteran captain Riyad Mahrez leading the Algerian squad, along with rising star Brahim Maza and fast forward Mohamed Lamine Amoura, and Algerian and Arab fans are counting on this trio to deliver high technical levels and achieve an unprecedented historic journey in the world arena.
Full Lineup
Goalkeepers: Luca Zidane, Oussama Ben Bout, Melvin Mastille, Abdellatif Ramadan.
Defenders: Rafik Belghali, Samir Chergui, Joan Hajam, Rami Ben Sebaini, Issa Mandi, Zine Eddine Belaid, Achraf Abada, Mohamed Lamine Toughai, Rayan Ait Nouri.
Midfielders: Nabil Bentaleb, Hicham Bodaoui, Ramez Zerrougui, Fares Chaibi, Hossam Aouar, Yassine Titraoui, Ibrahim Maza.
Forwards: Amine Gouiri, Mohamed Amine Amoura, Fares Gjimis, Riyad Mahrez, Anis Haj Moussa, Nazir Ben Bouali.
Algeria Group
The draw for the World Finals placed Algeria in Group X, which includes Argentina at the top, along with Austria and Jordan, where Algeria will play its first match in the first round against Argentina on June 16.