Algeria: what the Fennecs' elimination really reveals

An exit that prolongs a curse

For its fifth appearance at a World Cup, and the first since 2014, Algeria was hoping to finally get through a knockout stage. Group J (Argentina, Austria, Jordan) delivered its share of fears and hopes: a heavy opening defeat to La Albiceleste, a win against Jordan, then a spectacular resurgence—a hard-fought 3-3 draw with Austria thanks to a double from Riyad Mahrez, enough to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams from the twelve groups. But against a solid Switzerland, the Fennecs never showed up: opener from Breel Embolo, then a second goal from Dan Ndoye following a failed clearance in defense.

Final score 2-0, and a truth that is becoming harder to bear: in five World Cup appearances, Algeria has still never won a knockout game. Mahrez, captain and symbol of this generation, announced his international retirement on the BC Place pitch right after the final whistle: twelve years in the shirt, more than 110 appearances, 40 goals, an Africa Cup of Nations title in 2019. A chapter ends—with pain rather than pride.

The Zidane saga, symptom of a bigger issue

No episode crystallized tension as much as that of Luca Zidane. The son of Zinedine, trained in the French youth categories before opting to represent Algeria in autumn 2025, had established himself straight away as first-choice goalkeeper at CAN 2025 in Morocco. But his World Cup turned into an ordeal: at fault for one of the goals conceded against Argentina, unconvincing against Jordan, he was dropped in favor of Oussama Benbot for the crucial match against Austria—a choice which sparked fierce controversy, especially since his replacement was not any more reassuring.

Petković eventually reinstated him in a panic for the round of 16 against Switzerland, one more twist in a goalkeeper management seen as erratic. “There’s a problem with training at this position,” a source close to the squad told Le Parisien, noting that no Algerian keeper of world class has emerged since Raïs M’Bolhi. A statement that, well beyond the goalkeeping position, sums up the diagnosis for the whole system: able to export individual talent all over Europe, but unable to structure its own training pipeline.

A team without tactical compass

On the bench, Vladimir Petković was not spared. Facing superior Swiss opposition, he made the controversial choice of an open game, with no established center forward, Ibrahim Maza playing as a false number 9. An ill-fated gamble from the outset, according to a large part of the Algerian press, which denounced a performance “without a guiding line”. Investigative journalist Romain Molina, very active on the Algeria situation since the elimination, reported that a majority of players no longer truly understood the coach’s tactical choices and directions—three-man defense setup then abandoned mid-tournament, a midfield lacking clear instructions.

These claims were firmly denied by the FAF, declaring the bulk of the reported information to be “completely false”, while several Algerian media outlets, including La Gazette du Fennec, publicly questioned the reliability of his sources. Still: between the constant uncertainty in goal and the absence of a clear game plan on the pitch, the sporting incoherence has been uncontested by anyone.

The vacuum in training

The most revealing case in recent days, however, does not concern the senior team but the U20s. Razik Nedder, a former long-time coach at AS Saint-Étienne for fifteen years, was hired in April 2025 to take charge of Algeria’s under-20 squad. Eighteen months later, he has just announced his departure to join the staff at Le Havre AC in French Ligue 1—having not managed a single official match in the meantime due to lack of sufficient organization from the federation. His exit comes two months before UNAF qualifiers for the 2027 CAN U20, leaving the FAF without a youth coach at a pivotal moment.

This paradox—a generation of Algerian or dual-national coaches recognized elsewhere, but underused or poorly supported at home—can be seen at every level. Slimane Raho, a former international trained at JS Kabylie, just won the Congolese league title with TP Mazembe in less than six months, after being ignored for years by Algerian clubs who preferred foreign names. The same goes for management: despite massive budgets backed by public companies, the Algerian Ligue 1 clubs struggle to establish modern scouting departments, structured recruitment, or a sporting directorate in the European football sense—an absence that several observers, including diaspora professionals who proved themselves in France, now call to fill as a matter of urgency.

The Petković bill and the specter of a “big exposé”

Arriving in February 2024, with experience at Girondins de Bordeaux and Lazio Rome, Vladimir Petković had led Algeria to the quarterfinals of CAN 2025 and the second World Cup round, without ever truly convincing on substance. On June 7, just ten days before the tournament began, his contract was extended to 2028 and his salary raised from €135,000 to €160,000 a month, at the decision of Walid Sadi, without consultation of the executive board, according to Romain Molina.

Once the failure was sealed, a split appeared inevitable: a basic agreement was reportedly reached, but the financial terms are a roadblock. The FAF cites a clause allowing them to part ways with the coach for two months’ salary, about €320,000; Petković, via his lawyer, is demanding his entire contract be paid out through 2028, a sum that reportedly approaches €5 million according to multiple sources, and threatens to take the case to FIFA in the event of disagreement.

On his X account, Molina spoke of, beyond just the Petković case, “a federation falling apart”, listing, among other things, ill-distributed qualification bonuses, unpaid bills—for hotel providers and even the meat supplier for the delegation—and internal power struggles. The federation has categorically rejected these accusations, yet they have echoed even into parliament and on Algerian television talk shows, where former national football officials now demand answers.

Walid Sadi, the double-hat that wobbles

At the center of the storm is one man: Walid Sadi, President of the FAF since September 2023 and, since November 2024, Minister of Sports—a combination of roles already disputed even before this fiasco. His decision—taken alone according to several converging sources—to renew and increase Petković’s contract on the eve of the World Cup is now presented as the final straw. Former national football officials have attacked him publicly, demanding accountability; rumors—unconfirmed so far—speak of a possible resignation soon, including from his position as minister, with Nadir Bouzenad, the current secretary general of the FAF, said to be in line to succeed him as head of the body.

According to our information, Walid Sadi should soon be summoned at the highest level of state to explain his management of the matter—a move which, if confirmed, would signal direct government involvement in a crisis now too sensitive for sports authorities alone, and could lead to a thorough restructuring of the federation. It's not the first time that the FAF has faced this kind of turbulence: a shortfall of more than 8 billion dinars, inherited from previous administrations, had already been revealed by Sadi himself in 2024, plunging three former federation presidents into ongoing legal proceedings for corruption.

Antar Yahia, the express succession

Less than 48 hours after the final whistle in Vancouver, the name Antar Yahia—hero of the decisive goal against Egypt in Omdurman in 2009 and current coach of Angers SCO’s reserves—was already being touted by several media as Petković’s designated successor, with foreign options like Hervé Renard and Éric Chelle discarded in favor of a “100% Algerian” project.

The rush raises questions: the appointment is, to date, still not official from the FAF, and for critics, looks more like a PR move to calm public anger than a thoughtfully built plan. Around him, names like Madjid Bougherra and Karim Matmour are circulating to form the core of an upcoming technical staff—all former stars of the golden generation whom the FAF now seems eager to mobilize in a hurry, even though no clear organizational chart has been presented yet.

What Africa expects from Algeria

While the FAF searches for itself, the continent moves forward: Morocco reached the World Cup quarterfinals before falling to France. Africa needs a strong Algeria to drive this momentum and continue raising African football’s profile on the world stage. Without a quick resurgence and genuinely clean governance, the condescending view that part of the international sporting community still holds over African football will only become more entrenched. That change, Algeria can no longer afford to put off.