Algerian National Football Team
FIFA Ranking: 31
Governing Body:-
Algerian Football Federation (FAF)
Home Stadiums:-
Mustapha Tchaker Stadium, Blida
Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers
Captain:-
Riyad Mahrez
Coach:-
Djamel Belmadi
Most Capped Player:-
Lakhdar Belloumi (100 caps)
Top Scorer:-
Abdelhafid Tasfaout (36 goals)
Star Players:-
Riyad Mahrez, Said Benrahma, Islam Slimani, Ramy Bensebaini
Nicknames:-
El Khadra (The Greens)
El Fennecs (The Desert Foxes)
The Desert Warriors
Rivals:-
Egypt
Morocco
Tunisia
World Cup:-
Appearances: 4
Best Result: Round of 16 (2014)
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON):-
Appearances: 19
Best Result: 2 x Champions (1990, 2019)
African Nations Championship:-
Appearances: 2
Best Result: 4th (2011)
The Algeria national football team represents its nation in the official international football competitions under CAF and FIFA. Algeria joined FIFA on 1 January 1964 and is a country based in North Africa.
The nation comes under CAF’s Zone 1 (North Zone) that is organized by the Union of North African Football Federations (UNAF). The UNAF was launched in 2005.
Algeria became the first African team to score 4 goals in a World Cup match as they put 4 past South Korea in the 2014 World Cup.
The Algerians have been known to produce some of the best talents in football not only in Africa but also in world football.
(Photo: Clément Bucco-Lechat, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Riyad Mahrez – Algeria’s captain is one of the most sought after right-wingers in football and is a starter more often than not for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Mahrez led his Algerian team to the AFCON title in 2o19, almost 40 years after the nation won its first title.
The Algerians have become a force to reckon with and are definitely one of the favourites to qualify for the FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar in 2022.
Most of the Algerian squad players play football outside Algeria. A lot of them play in France and the other top European leagues.
This exposure has given them invaluable experience that has been a catalyst in the success of the nation’s football team. There is no doubt that the Algerian team is going to get better at this rate.
Coach Djamel Belmadi is a coach with an abundance of experience not only as a manager but also as a player. He played for clubs like Manchester City and Southampton in England’s top flight. He won the Algerian Ballon d’Or back in 2001.
Football in Algeria
Football is the national sport of Algeria and the most popular too.
Algeria’s top football divisions are the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 and the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 2.
Below the top 2 divisions are the 3 National Leagues split into – Group West, Centre and East.
This is followed by the Inter-Regions – Group West, Centre West, Centre East and East.
The top 2 teams of the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 qualify for the CAF Champions League. The 3rd place team qualifies for the CAF Confederation Cup along with the winner of the Algerian Cup.
Betting in Algeria
Being a Muslim country, Algeria’s laws are influence by Sharia Law. As the Quran states that it is unlawful to gain wealth by gambling, betting is prohibited in Algeria. Hence, betting sites are prohibited from online gambling in the country.
Pari Sportif Algériene (PSA) has been granted permission to accept sports bets at lottery shops to help Algerian athletes. However, Algerian betting sites are not permitted.
Gambling licenses are not issued in Algeria and it is illegal for online casinos to operate in the North African nation. Since betting is illegal in the country, there is no regulatory body for Algerian betting sites.
Horse racing is legal in Algeria however, people can only bet physically at the racetrack for the same.