Gustavo Poyet set to become Algeria's new head coach

The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) is in advanced negotiations with Gustavo Poyet to succeed Vladimir Petkovic, who was sacked after the Fennecs’ elimination in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup against Switzerland (2-0) on July 3 in Vancouver.

The 58-year-old Uruguayan coach presents several advantages in the eyes of Algerian leaders. A French speaker, he managed Bordeaux in 2018 and began his playing career in Europe at Grenoble between 1988 and 1990. He also has experience in national team management, having coached Greece from 2022 to 2024, before a spell in Saudi Arabia at Al-Khaleej, a club where several Algerian internationals play.

According to La Gazette du Fennec, Poyet would accept a salary of 75,000 euros per month, below the FAF’s salary cap of 100,000 euros. The length of the contract remains a point of friction, however: the federation would only want to commit for one year, until the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 hosted in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Petkovic’s departure comes after two consecutive disappointing campaigns. Algeria were first eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on January 10, suffering a heavy defeat to Nigeria (2-0), before collapsing without resistance against Switzerland at the World Cup. The Bosnian coach had been extended between these two failures, a decision that has since been widely criticized.

Pending the official appointment of the new head coach, former international defender Anthar Yahia, a member of staff at the World Cup, is tasked with drawing up the preliminary squad for the first two matches of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, scheduled for late September against Zambia and Burundi.