Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of French football legend Zinedine Zidane, is set to join the Algerian national team alongside three new defenders, as the squad prepares for decisive 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. Algeria will face Somalia on October 9 in Oran, western Algeria, for the penultimate round of the qualifiers.
Nicknamed the Desert Warriors, Algeria currently tops Group G with 19 points, four points ahead of both Uganda and Mozambique. The team will later host Uganda on October 14 at the Hussein Aït Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou, near the capital Algiers, for the final match of the African qualifiers.
Head coach Vladimir Petković announced a 26-man squad during a press conference on Thursday, including only two goalkeepers from the domestic league — Oussama Benbot (USM Alger) and Alexis Guendouz (MC Alger).
In addition to Luca Zidane, who plays for Granada in Spain, Petković handed first-time call-ups to Rafik Belghali (Hellas Verona, Italy), Samir Chergui (Paris FC, France), and Mehdi Dorval (Bari, Italy). Meanwhile, Zakaria Bouhalfaya (CS Constantine), Noufel Khacef (CR Belouizdad), Youcef Atal (Al Sadd, Qatar), and Ahmed Touba (Panathinaikos, Greece) were omitted from the list.
Petković also reinstated Adam Zorgane (Union Saint-Gilloise, Belgium), Badreddine Bouanani (VfB Stuttgart, Germany), and Amine Chiakha (Vejle BK, Denmark). However, Ramy Zerrouki (Twente, Netherlands), Houssem Aouar (Al-Ittihad, Saudi Arabia), and Said Benrahma (Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia) were left out this time.
The coach explained his decision to call up Luca Zidane, emphasizing that the goalkeeper “deserves his chance” and has the potential to contribute significantly to the team. Petković added that he has been following Zidane for a while and believes now is the right time to integrate him into the squad. “It’s not the right moment to discuss who the first-choice goalkeeper is,” he said.
“The new players have improved with their clubs, and it’s important for them to experience the team environment. As I’ve said before, the national team’s door is always open. I chose the most in-form players — we’ve often struggled with injuries, so expanding our options is crucial,” Petković continued.
He noted that he was satisfied with the current goalkeepers but wanted to broaden the selection base using the same internal evaluation standards within the group.
Algeria’s 26-man squad list:
Goalkeepers: Oussama Benbot, Alexis Guendouz, Luca Zidane
Defenders: Ramy Bensebaini, Jouane Hajjame, Rafik Belghali, Kevin Guitoun, Aïssa Mandi, Samir Chergui, Mehdi Dorval, Mohamed Amine Tougai
Midfielders: Nabil Bentaleb, Hicham Boudaoui, Adam Zorgane, Ilan Kebbal, Ibrahim Mazza
Forwards: Mohamed Amine Amoura, Youcef Belaïli, Yacine Benzia, Badreddine Bouanani, Farès Chaïbi, Anis Hadj Moussa, Riyad Mahrez, Baghdad Bounedjah, Amine Chiakha, Amine Gouiri
