Luca Zidane threatened with fresh exclusion from Algeria squad in November

Luca Zidane could miss a second consecutive call-up with Algeria. According to media outlet Winwin, coach Brahim Hemdani is unconvinced by the 28-year-old goalkeeper’s performances and is considering leaving him out of the two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Togo, scheduled for November 14 and 17.

Zinédine Zidane’s son had already missed September’s fixtures against Zambia (3-1) and Burundi (2-2), suspended following his conduct at the last Africa Cup of Nations. He was hoping to use these two matches to force his way back into the Fennecs squad, but his inconsistent displays are now jeopardizing his return.

His record at the 2026 World Cup also weighs against him. He struggled against Argentina (3-0) and failed to fully convince against Jordan despite Algeria’s victory (2-1), before being benched in the final group match against Austria (3-3) in favor of Oussama Benbot. Algeria were subsequently eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland (2-0).

Two other goalkeepers are now being closely monitored by the Algerian staff. Alexis Guendouz, 30, of JS Kabylie, and Alexandre Oukidja, 38, of ES Sétif, could benefit from the situation. Neither featured in Hemdani’s initial squad list, and both have been absent from selections for at least a year. They would be competing for a third-choice spot behind Melvin Mastil and Abdellatif Ramdane, who are expected to be retained.

Luca Zidane, who has been playing for Leganés since the 2026 World Cup, now finds his position within the Algerian squad weakened just weeks before an international break he had hoped to make his mark on.