Algeria at the FIFA World Cup

Algeria has qualified to the FIFA World Cup on five occasions, in 1982, 1986, 2010, 2014 and 2026. They have twice qualified for the knockout stage, reaching the round of 16 in 2014 before losing to Germany, and the round of 32 in 2026 before losing to Switzerland. Algeria nearly qualified to the second round of the 1982 World Cup after beating both West Germany and Chile; however, a controversial match between West Germany and Austria wound up eliminating the Algerians.
Overall record
| Overall record | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Result | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Top scorer(s) (goals) | Manager(s) | ||
| Part of France | – | Part of France | ||||||||||||||||||
| Withdrew | – | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | – | Round 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Amirouche (1) | |||||||||||
| Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | Gamouh, Kalem (1) | |||||||||||||
| Round 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Betrouni, Guendouz (1) | |||||||||||||
| Group stage | 13th | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | Squad | Round 4 (final) | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 6 | Belloumi (5) | ||||
| 22nd | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | Squad | Round 4 (final) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | Menad (4) | |||||
| Did not qualify | – | Round 3 (final) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | Madjer (3) | |||||||||||
| Round 2 (final) | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 11 | Tasfaout (4) | |||||||||||||
| Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Tasfaout, Zerrouki (1) | |||||||||||||
| Round 2 (final) | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 14 | Meçabih, Tasfaout, Saïfi (2) | |||||||||||||
| Round 2 (final) | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 15 | Boutabout (6) | |||||||||||||
| Group stage | 28th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Squad | Round 3 (final) | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 8 | Saifi, Yahia, Ziani (3) | ||||
| Round of 16 | 14th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | Squad | Round 3 (final) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 7 | Slimani (5) | ||||
| Did not qualify | – | Round 3 (final) | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 12 | Slimani (4) | |||||||||||
| Round 3 (final) | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 6 | Slimani (8) | |||||||||||||
| Round of 32 | 30th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | Squad | Round 1 (final) | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 8 | Amoura (10) | ||||
| To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total: 5/23 | Round of 16 | 14th | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 28 | – | 15/22 | 107 | 53 | 26 | 28 | 177 | 105 | – | – | ||
By match
| By match | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup | Round | Opponent | Score | Result | Algeria scorers | Man of the match (Algeria) | Venue |
| 1982 | Group 2 | 2–1 | W | Madjer, Belloumi | Merzekane | Gijón | |
| 0–2 | L | Oviedo | |||||
| 3–2 | W | Assad (2), Bensaoula | Assad | Oviedo | |||
| 1986 | Group D | 1–1 | D | Zidane | Guadalajara | ||
| 0–1 | L | Drid | Guadalajara | ||||
| 0–3 | L | Monterrey | |||||
| 2010 | Group C | 0–1 | L | Polokwane | |||
| 0–0 | D | Cape Town | |||||
| 0–1 | L | Pretoria | |||||
| 2014 | Group H | 1–2 | L | Feghouli | Belo Horizonte | ||
| 4–2 | W | Slimani, Halliche, Djabou, Brahimi | Slimani | Porto Alegre | |||
| 1–1 | D | Slimani | Slimani | Curitiba | |||
| Round of 16 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | L | Djabou | M'Bolhi | Porto Alegre | ||
| 2026 | Group J | 0–3 | L | Kansas City | |||
| 2–1 | W | Benbouali, Gouiri | Maza | Santa Clara | |||
| 3–3 | D | Belghali, Mahrez (2) | Mahrez | Kansas City | |||
| Round of 32 | 0–2 | L | Vancouver | ||||
Head-to-head record
| Legend |
|---|
| Won more than lost |
| Won equals lost |
| Lost more than won |
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 100.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 50.00 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 100.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 | |
| Total | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 28 | −10 | 23.53 |
Participations
Algeria at Spain 1982
- Group 2
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 4 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 |
| West Germany | 1–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rummenigge |
Report | Madjer Belloumi |
Algeria at Mexico 1986
Algeria at South Africa 2010

- Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 1 |
Algeria vs Slovenia
Algeria[2]
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Slovenia[2]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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England[5]
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Algeria[5]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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| United States | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Donovan |
Report |
United States[6]
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Algeria[6]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Algeria at Brazil 2014
- Group H
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 |
Belgium vs Algeria
Belgium
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Algeria
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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South Korea vs Algeria
| South Korea | 2–4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Son Heung-min Koo Ja-cheol |
Report | Slimani Halliche Djabou Brahimi |
South Korea
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Algeria
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Algeria vs Russia
Algeria
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Russia
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Germany vs Algeria
Germany
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Algeria
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Algeria at United States/Canada/Mexico 2026
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4[a] | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4[a] | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 |
Notes:
| Argentina | 3–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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[Report 1] |
| Algeria | 3–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| [Report 3] |
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Knockout stage
- Round of 32
Player records
As of 2 July 2026
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Matches | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rafik Halliche | 7 | 2010 and 2014 |
| Nabil Bentaleb | 7 | 2014 and 2026 | |
| Aïssa Mandi | 7 | 2014 and 2026 | |
| 4 | Mahmoud Guendouz | 6 | 1982 and 1986 |
| Rabah Madjer | 6 | 1982 and 1986 | |
| Faouzi Mansouri | 6 | 1982 and 1986 | |
| Madjid Bougherra | 6 | 2010 and 2014 | |
| Mehdi Lacen | 6 | 2010 and 2014 | |
| Raïs M'Bolhi | 6 | 2010 and 2014 | |
| 10 | Salah Assad | 5 | 1982 and 1986 |
| Lakhdar Belloumi | 5 | 1982 and 1986 | |
| Noureddine Kourichi | 5 | 1982 and 1986 | |
| Djamel Zidane | 5 | 1982 and 1986 | |
| Riyad Mahrez | 5 | 2014 and 2026 |
Goalscorers
On 16 June 1982, Rabah Madjer made history by scoring Algeria's first-ever FIFA World Cup goal, coming in their opening match against Germany in Gijón.
Salah Assad and Riyad Mahrez scored twice in a single match against Chile in 1982 and Austria in 2026, respectively.
| Player | Goals | 1982 | 1986 | 2010 | 2014 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salah Assad | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Abdelmoumene Djabou | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Islam Slimani | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Riyad Mahrez | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Lakhdar Belloumi | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Tedj Bensaoula | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Rabah Madjer | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Djamel Zidane | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Yacine Brahimi | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Sofiane Feghouli | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Rafik Halliche | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Rafik Belghali | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Nadhir Benbouali | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Amine Gouiri | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
Historical performances
The Algeria team had many records and facts which had done during its participations in the world cup.
- 1982: First African team to beat a European team (West Germany)
- 1982: First African team to win two games
- 1982: First team to win two games in the first round and not advance
- 1982: FIFA revised the group system for future tournaments, so that the final two games in each group would be played simultaneously because the controversial game between West Germany & Austria that causes the elimination of Algeria[7]
- 1986: First African team to qualify consecutively for the second time
- 2014: First African team to score four goals in one game against South Korea
- 2014: First African team to reach the knockout stage simultaneously with another African team (Nigeria)
Squads
See also
Notes
- ↑ Despite not playing, Cadamuro received a yellow card on the bench.
References
- 1 2 3 "Algeria-Slovenia gets substitute ref". ESPNsoccernet.com. Associated Press. 8 June 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group C – Algeria-Slovenia" (PDF). FIFA. 13 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- 1 2 "Referee designations for matches 1-16" (PDF). FIFA. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Referee designations for matches 17-24" (PDF). FIFA. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group C – England-Algeria" (PDF). FIFA. 18 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group C – USA-Algeria" (PDF). FIFA. 23 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ↑ "World Cup: 25 stunning moments ... West Germany 1-0 Austria in 1982". The Guardian. London.
Reports
- ↑
- "Argentina vs Algeria | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Argentina v. Algeria". FIFA. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Argentina v. Algeria". FIFA. June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑
- "Jordan vs Algeria | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Jordan v. Algeria". FIFA. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Jordan v. Algeria". FIFA. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑
- "Algeria vs Austria | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Algeria v. Austria". FIFA. June 28, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Algeria v. Austria". FIFA. June 28, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ↑
- "Switzerland vs Algeria | Round of 32 | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
- "Match Report – Round of 32 – Switzerland v. Algeria". FIFA. July 3, 2026. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Round of 32 – Switzerland v. Algeria". FIFA. July 3, 2026. Retrieved July 3, 2026.






