Four previous World Cups (1982, 1986, 2010, 2014); 2026 is their 5th, and their first appearance since reaching the Round of 16 in Brazil
The Wolfsburg flier who top-scored in qualifying — electric in behind and the man most likely to turn Algeria's pace into goals. Set an alarm for him.
Overtook the old guard to become Algeria's most-capped player; still anchoring the back line in 2026
Passed Abdelhafid Tasfaout in 2021 to become the nation's all-time leading scorer
⚠ The most-used eleven in recent matches under Vladimir Petković (June 2026) — a snapshot of recent form, never a forecast.
| PLAYER | POS | ERA | CAPS | GLS | FILE NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabah Madjer #9 | FW | 1978–1992 | 87 | 28 | The backheel king — his outrageous flick won Porto the 1987 European Cup and made him a continental icon. |
| Lakhdar Belloumi #10 | AM | 1978–1989 | 100 | 28 | African Footballer of the Year 1981; scored the winner that stunned West Germany in 1982. |
| Islam Slimani #13 | FW | 2012–2025 | 105 | 45 | Record marksman — a target man who simply kept scoring across a decade in green. |
| Riyad Mahrez #7 | FW | 2014– | 113 | 38 | The left foot that won the 2019 title and an English league — Algeria's modern talisman and 2026 captain. |
| Antar Yahia #18 | DF | 2004–2013 | 56 | 5 | His thunderbolt volley v Egypt in 2009 sent Algeria to their first World Cup in 24 years — a goal still replayed in Algiers. |
| Rafik Saïfi #11 | FW | 1998–2010 | 67 | 18 | Mercurial forward who carried the line through the lean years between golden generations. |
| Abdelhafid Tasfaout #9 | FW | 1990–2002 | 62 | 36 | Held the goalscoring record for two decades — the standard every Algerian striker since has chased. |
| Raïs M'Bolhi #23 | GK | 2010–2022 | 96 | 0 | The wall of 2014 — his heroics against Germany in Porto Alegre nearly authored the greatest upset of all. |
| Yacine Brahimi #8 | MF | 2013–2024 | 72 | 15 | Twinkle-toed playmaker; lit up Brazil 2014 with a goal and a dancer's first touch. |
| Madjid Bougherra #2 | DF | 2004–2014 | 69 | 5 | 'Magic' — the towering captain who marshalled the defence through two World Cup campaigns. |
No trophies in the cabinet from the global stage, but few flags carry as much romance: the side that humbled West Germany in '82, the wall that nearly broke Germany in '14, and two African crowns to show for the talent that keeps pouring out of this football-mad land. Les Fennecs arrive in 2026 with Mahrez's left foot, Amoura's pace and a long memory. A historian's favourite underdog.