Hossam Ahmed
December 14, 2025AFCON: Petkovic unveils Algeria’s final squad including Mahrez and Zidane
AFCON: Petkovic unveils Algeria’s final squad including Mahrez and Zidane
Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic officially announced his final squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to take place from December 18 to January 21, 2026.
Algeria have been drawn into Group E, where they will face Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso and Sudan.
The list reflects a clear balance between experience and talents, as Petković rewards strong recent performances while also springing a few notable surprises.
Algeria squad for AFCON 2025:
| Position | Player | Club |
| Goalkeepers | Luca Zidane | Granada (ESP) |
| Anthony Mandrea | SM Caen (FRA) | |
| Oussama Benbot | USM Alger (ALG) | |
| Defenders | Rayan Aït-Nouri | Manchester City (ENG) |
| Aïssa Mandi | LOSC Lille (FRA) | |
| Ramy Bensebaïni | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | |
| Youcef Atal | Al Sadd (QAT) | |
| Mohamed Amine Tougaï | Espérance de Tunis (TUN) | |
| Zineddine Belaïd | JS Kabylie (ALG) | |
| Jaouen Hadjam | Young Boys (SUI) | |
| Rafik Belghali | Hellas Verona (ITA) | |
| Mehdi Dorval | Bari (ITA) | |
| Samir Chergui | Paris FC (FRA) | |
| Midfielders | Ismaël Bennacer | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) |
| Houssem Aouar | Al-Ittihad (KSA) | |
| Hicham Boudaoui | OGC Nice (FRA) | |
| Ramiz Zerrouki | FC Twente (NED) | |
| Farès Chaïbi | Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) | |
| Adem Zorgane | Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) | |
| Ibrahim Maza | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | |
| Forwards | Riyad Mahrez (C) | Al-Ahli (KSA) |
| Baghdad Bounedjah | Al-Shamal (QAT) | |
| Mohamed Amoura | Werder Bremen (GER) | |
| Anis Hadj Moussa | Feyenoord (NED) | |
| Monsef Bakrar | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | |
| Ilan Kebbal | Paris FC (FRA) | |
| Adel Boulbina | Al-Duhail (QAT) | |
| Redouane Berkane | Al-Wakrah (QAT) |
New Faces Earn Their Chance
Among the standout inclusions are Radouane Berkane and Adel Boulbina, both of whom appeared with the Algeria second team in the current FIFA Arab Cup and earned promotion to the senior squad.
Defensively, Zineddine Belaïd of JS Kabylie has been called up again after featuring in the November international camp.
Goalkeeping Surprise
One of the major talking points of the squad announcement came in the goalkeeping department. As expected, Alexis Guendouz of MC Alger was left out due to a muscle injury.
Instead, Petković made a surprising decision by recalling Anthony Mandrea, currently playing for Caen in France’s third division. The move is a surprise, especially considering the goalkeeper had been absent from recent training camp.
In attack, Riyad Mahrez headlines the squad as Algeria’s main force. He will be supported by experienced striker Baghdad Bounedjah, alongside Mohamed Amine Amoura, the current top scorer in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
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