Defending champions Algeria name provisional AFCON squad

Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi announced the final squad list of the defending champions that will take part in the impending TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021, which is scheduled to kick off on January 9th, 2022.

Algeria won the last edition of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2019. The Desert Foxes also won the FIFA Arab Cup, which was held in Qatar this month.

Algeria’s final list includes 28 players, led by the English Premier League stars Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City and Said Benrahma of West Ham, as well as the best player in the FIFA Arab Cup, Yassine Brahimi, and best goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi.

Algeria plays in Group E of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2021, besides Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone. They will start their title defending campaign by facing Sierra Leone at the Japoma Stadium in Douala on January 11, 2022.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Rais Mbolhi (Al-Ettifaq, Saudi Arabia), Mustafa Zaghba (Damac, Saudi Arabia), Alexandre Oukidja (Metz, France)

Defenders: Issa Mandy (Villarreal, Spain), Abdelkader Bedrane (Esperance, Tunisia), Mehdi Tahrat (Al Gharafa, Qatar), Djamel Benlmari (Qatar, Qatar), Mohamed Amine Taugai (Esperance, Tunisia), Youcef Attal (Nice, France), Houcine Benayada (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Reda Halaimia (Beerschot, Belgium), Rami Bensebaini (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany), Ilias Chetti (Esperance, Tunisia)

Midfielders: Ramiz Zerrouki (Twente Enschede, Netherlands), Haris Belkebla (Brest, France), Sofiane Bendebka (Al-Fateh, Saudi Arabia), Adem Zorgane (Royal Charleroi, Belgium), Sofiane Feghouli (Galatasaray, Turkey) Ismail Bennacer (AC Milan, Italy)

Forwards: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City, England), Adam Ounas (Napoli, Italy), Youcef Belaili (Unattached), Said Benrahma (West Ham United, England), Farid Boulaya (Metz, France), Yacine Brahimi (Al Rayyan, Qatar), Islam Slimani (Lyon, France), Baghdad Bounedjah (Al Sadd, Qatar), Mohamed El Amine Amoura (Lugano, Switzerland)