Today's Talking Points
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1Algeria are one of Africa's most successful nations historically — they were 2019 Africa Cup of Nations champions and have a rich tradition of producing players who go on to stellar club careers in Europe.
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2Riyad Mahrez retired from international football in 2023 but several players from that golden generation remain, giving Algeria experience alongside younger talent coming through the domestic and European leagues.
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3They're in Group J with Argentina, Austria and Jordan — a tough group where the realistic target is qualifying in second place, which would represent a solid achievement given Argentina's presence.
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4Algeria's squad has an interesting dual identity — many players were born in France and chose Algeria over the French system, which creates a roster with European club experience and international ambition.
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5Their manager Djamel Belmadi built the 2019 AFCON-winning team and remains in charge — consistency in management has given Algeria stability that's helped them qualify for consecutive tournaments.
🍺 Top Thing To Say Down The Pub
Half Algeria's squad could have played for France and chose not to. Whatever you think of that politically, it makes for a fascinating team.
🚫 Avoid Saying
"Algeria are the dark horses" — they're a well-established international team who won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019. Not really a dark horse anymore.