Footballers from the Algeria national team, new team qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
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This Thursday, Algeria became the twentieth team to qualify for the 2026 Soccer World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The team led by Swiss Vladimir Petkovic secured its ticket after beating Somalia 3-0.
The meeting had a peculiarity. Although the fixture marked the Somalis as locals, the match was played at the Olympic Stadium in Oran, north of Algerian territory, before a crowd from the country that managed to return to the biggest event.
The story did not take long to be written. Just seven minutes after the opening whistle, striker Mohamed Amoura opened the scoring with a precise volley inside the six-yard box that overcame the resistance of goalkeeper Abdirahman Mahomaud Jama.
Then, in the 20th minute, captain Ryad Mahrez extended the lead. The Algerian reference controlled the ball with his chest and defined with a powerful right hand that made the stands of the modern stage of Oran explode with joy.
In the second half, Amoura repeated and sealed the victory with a header after an assist from Mahrez himself, thus sealing a round day for the “desert foxes”. With this result, Algeria confirmed its presence in the fifth orbital meeting in its history.
Algeria's qualification makes it the fourth African team to secure its place in the tournament, along with Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has nine direct spots and one additional playoff spot, so there are still tickets available.
With the North Africans joining the group, there are now 20 teams that have secured their place in the 2026 World Cup, the first that will have 48 participants. Algeria, meanwhile, is celebrating a return that tastes like revenge after missing the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 events.
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