Gambia test awaits Algeria coach Bougherra in 2025 CHAN qualifying
- Omna Taddele
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Algeria national 'A’ team coach Madjid Bougherra says he is happy to return to the national team setup ahead of Algeria's 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier against Gambia. The 2022 CHAN runners-up are currently in camp as they prepare to face Gambia in Banjul for Saturday's first leg.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) retained the former center-back for the CHAN qualifiers and the upcoming 2025 FIFA Arab Cup in December. Bougherra expressed his joy at coaching the local national team once again:
“Sure, I had the experience with a team in Qatar (at the 2021 Arab Cup), but being able to coach in your own country, with the A’ team, coming back home — that was something I missed. So here we are, off on a new adventure, Alhamdulillah!”
Bougherra emphasized that his full focus is on the upcoming tie with Gambia: “So now it is preparation for the CHAN. The first objective is the match against Gambia. We have a home-and-away format, something that hasn’t happened before with North African teams as the qualifier format has changed."
"This time we find ourselves up against Gambia. It’s a good experience for everyone. And now, we’re getting ready to go and secure that qualification, Inshallah!”
He also noted that his coaching staff has been studying Gambia for the past two months to gather as much data as possible. “This is the first time in the qualifiers that we’ll face a team from West Africa. We have the opportunity to play Gambia. For the first leg, I sent Djamel Mesbah to watch their match against Gabon in Senegal, because it is very difficult to get footage of our opponents when we are with the A’ team."
"The advantage this time was having both footage and information about Gambia. It is a team that deserves respect — very athletic, and they’ve been preparing for 15 days. They even paused their league to focus on qualification, so it is a major objective for them.”
Algeria has participated twice in the CHAN tournament and is aiming to qualify for back-to-back editions for the first time in its history.
