Hemdani appointed Algeria coach, Fennecs begin 2027 Africa Cup qualifying without Mahrez

Brahim Hemdani welcomed his players on Monday at the Sidi Moussa training centre to prepare for Algeria’s first two matches in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. The former defensive midfielder, previously Algeria U20 coach since July, was appointed urgently following Vladimir Petkovic’s dismissal, despite the federation having extended his contract before the 2026 World Cup.

The Algerian federation had initially sought a Spanish or Portuguese coach before turning to Hemdani. He inherits a squad in reconstruction: captain Riyad Mahrez and defender Aissa Mandi, two pillars of the 2019 continental title, are no longer part of the team. Luca Zidane and Rafik Belghali are suspended for these two matches. Ramy Bensebaïni and Anis Hadj Moussa will only arrive on Tuesday at the gathering, with the Dortmund defender celebrating his wedding with the sister of Feyenoord’s winger. Hemdani reportedly offered him to skip this gathering, but the player declined.

Despite these absences, the Fennecs approach these qualifiers with a solid record in the background: no defeats in the last three qualifying campaigns for the continental tournament. The first test will take place Friday evening in Tizi Ouzou, at JS Kabylie’s home, against Zambia. A victory is expected against the Chipolopolos.

The trip to Burundi four days later will be a first real challenge for Ibrahim Maza, Amine Gouiri or returning Ilan Kebbal. Matches played in East Africa remain tricky, even if infrastructure now meets FIFA standards. In November, Algeria will then travel to Togo to face the Sparrowhawks, led by their striker Kévin Denkey, who played for Nîmes and now plays for FC Cincinnati in MLS.

The top two from each group will secure their tickets for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.