Algeria National Team: Fennecs Football Squad, Next Match and African Kick Off Times

The Algeria national team, nicknamed the Fennecs, has played since 6 January 1963, when it beat Bulgaria 2 to 1 in Algiers. It has won the Africa Cup of Nations twice, in 1990 and 2019, and reached the World Cup in 1982, 1986, 2010, 2014 and 2026. Begin with Algeria’s fixture card, using the selection list, honours and individual records to place each international in context. Four clocks accompany Algeria’s fixtures: GMT, WAT, SAST and EAT.

For South Africans using the word soccer, the Fennecs’ continental titles offer a route into Algeria’s football history. Comparing Algeria’s squad with those of other African nations can reveal club teammates representing different countries and familiar partnerships becoming international contests. Readers following Algeria from Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa or Kenya can explore scheduled internationals alongside dated encounters with other African sides.

Who Are the Fennecs, and Where Do the Nicknames Come From?

Algeria are known as the Fennecs, the Desert Warriors and the Greens. A fixture carrying any of these names refers to Algeria, as does a report describing the Fennecs in action.

The history moves in bursts rather than a straight line. After that first win over Bulgaria in 1963, Algeria announced themselves to the world in 1982, beating West Germany 2 to 1 on their World Cup debut, one of the great upsets of any tournament. They lifted the Africa Cup of Nations as hosts in 1990, reached a World Cup knockout round for the first time in 2014, then won a second AFCON in Egypt in 2019. As such, the Fennecs are a side whose best days tend to arrive together, and their supporters measure eras by those peaks.

Algeria Next Match: How Do You Read the Fixtures and Results?

Each Algeria fixture pairs its date with an opponent, a competition and an assigned venue. Readers following the Fennecs can compare GMT, WAT, SAST and EAT within the same entry. Completed Algeria fixtures carry FT, with the final score and named scorers providing the result details. The tournament label establishes whether Algeria are contesting continental qualification, World Cup qualification or a friendly.

Algiers and Lagos share a clock throughout the year, giving Nigeria supporters a direct reference for Algeria’s home starts. For example, 20:00 in Algiers means Accra reads 19:00 GMT, Lagos reads 20:00 WAT, Nairobi and Kampala read 22:00 EAT, and Johannesburg reads 21:00 SAST. Viewers following Algeria from South Africa can therefore use the fixture’s SAST entry without converting from Algerian time.

Who Is in the Algeria Squad?

Algeria’s selection module groups the called up players by their positions and attaches club details, caps and goals to each name. An armband symbol identifies the Fennecs captain within that selection. Match the selection to its international window, and check the date attached to Algeria’s individual appearance and scoring figures.

Riyad Mahrez scored the winning free kick against Nigeria in the 2019 AFCON semi final. Baghdad Bounedjah scored Algeria’s goal against Senegal in the 2019 final. Those two moments give readers a dated introduction to the attacking players behind Algeria’s second continental title.

Reading Algeria’s selection as a set of possible partnerships helps explain the available attacking routes. A Fennecs wide forward might stay near the touchline or move centrally, with an advancing full back supplying width behind him. Listed positions describe Algeria’s options, while the chosen starting lineup shows which players combine from the outset. Club affiliations also help African viewers connect the Algeria internationals they follow across domestic competitions.

Who Coaches Algeria, and How Do They Play?

The coaching details accompanying Algeria’s selection identify the person directing the Fennecs. Algeria’s 2019 semi final against Nigeria offers a specific example of the value of set pieces: Mahrez’s winning free kick settled the match. Assess an Algeria result with its venue and tournament in view, since those details establish the circumstances of the meeting.

Follow Algeria’s passing from its starting point, paying attention to the support available around each receiver. A Fennecs midfielder moving deeper may offer an outlet for defenders, while width further forward can stretch the opposition’s shape. After Algeria lose possession, the immediate response reveals whether players close down the ball or retreat into their defensive positions. These details help explain an Algeria performance without assuming the team must always resemble its lineup from a particular tournament.

How Did Algeria Do at the 2026 World Cup?

Algeria reached their fifth World Cup in 2026 and came from behind to beat Jordan 2 to 1. Algeria’s tournament results retain the scores and scorers from 2026 alongside their preceding qualifying fixtures. For readers comparing African teams at that tournament, the Jordan match provides a dated example of an Algeria comeback.

When examining Algeria’s World Cup group record, begin with points and apply the tournament’s tiebreakers wherever totals are equal. In 2014, Islam Slimani’s equaliser against Russia took Algeria into the knockout stage for the first time. They then lost 2 to 1 to Germany after extra time in the round of 16. That tournament also saw Algeria score four goals against South Korea, a first for an African team at a World Cup. Algeria’s dated results allow a comparison between the 2014 knockout journey and the 2026 tournament.

What Have Algeria Won?

Algeria have won the Africa Cup of Nations twice, first as hosts in 1990 and then in Egypt in 2019. The 2019 title followed a semi final against Nigeria settled by Mahrez’s winning free kick. Algeria’s honours entries distinguish the host nation triumph of 1990 from the title secured in Egypt in 2019.

Beyond AFCON, Algeria won the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021, which put them in front of a wider audience across the Arab world. They returned to that competition in 2025 and went out in the quarter finals after a 7 to 6 penalty shootout with the UAE, a tie decided by the finest of margins. The older honours, the 1991 Afro Asian Cup of Nations, the 1978 All Africa Games and the 1975 Mediterranean Games, are listed in the table below with the two AFCON titles. And, at the World Cup, the 1982 win over West Germany and the 2014 round of 16 run stand as achievements in their own right.

Who Holds the Algeria Records?

Algeria’s records refresh after internationals, tracking the players who lead for caps and goals. Caps count a player’s Algeria appearances; the goals column records his scoring contribution for the Fennecs. Reading both columns keeps an Algeria international career distinct from the same player’s achievements at club level.

A long Algeria career and a prolific Algeria career describe different kinds of contribution. Neither caps nor goals fully capture the work of the Fennecs goalkeeper, the organisation of a defender or a midfielder’s distribution. Comparisons across Algeria generations benefit from attention to playing roles and the tournaments in which those appearances came. Use the two records as complementary measures when assessing an individual’s place in Algeria’s football history.

Where Do Algeria Play, and Where Can You Watch Them?

Algeria play their main home matches at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Baraki, Algiers, and the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran. A national stadium named after Nelson Mandela also gives South African readers an extra thread to the Fennecs, a reminder of ties across the continent that go beyond the pitch. Algeria’s fixture venue entry specifies which ground hosts each listed international.

For Algeria coverage, select your country within the broadcaster module: Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria or South Africa. The Algeria match entry pairs available television and streaming services with its scheduled start. Tournament rights can vary, so the broadcaster entries carry the channel details for each Algeria fixture.

Why Do Algeria Matter in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and Uganda?

Nigeria supporters have a specific connection to Algeria through Riyad Mahrez’s winning free kick in the 2019 AFCON semi final. With the score level in the closing moments, his set piece sent Algeria into the final. That dated meeting provides context when comparing the two teams’ continental histories.

Algeria’s head to head entries cover their historical meetings with Uganda’s Cranes, Kenya’s Harambee Stars, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and Ghana’s Black Stars. Establish when and in which competition Algeria played before weighing one encounter against another. The national teams directory offers further sides to explore alongside the Fennecs.

What Comes Next for Algeria: AFCON and the World Cup Qualifiers?

For Algeria’s qualifying fixtures, the competition field separates the continental route from the World Cup route. Algeria’s qualifying group, scheduled opponents and dates appear within the qualification module. Meetings involving Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya or South Africa also have historical context in Algeria’s head to head records. Choose your local clock from the Algeria fixture’s four time entries: GMT, WAT, SAST and EAT.

Interpret Algeria’s qualifying group by checking the available progression places before comparing points and fixtures completed. An uneven number of matches played means Algeria and their group rivals may have different amounts of their schedules remaining. Where Algeria are level on points, the specified competition tiebreakers determine how the sides are ordered. Algeria’s remaining venues and opponents help explain the route ahead, while the competition format establishes which final group places bring qualification.