Sports
Algeria coach Brahim Hemdani has left goalkeeper Luca Zidane and defender Rayan Ait-Nouri out of his 26-man squad for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Togo.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, November 5, Hemdani said Zidane’s omission was “based on sporting criteria”, explaining that regular club appearances had influenced his selection. “I need to have three goalkeepers who were getting as much playing time as possible,” he said.
The coach selected USM Alger’s Oussama Benbot, Melvin Mastil of Swiss club Lausanne-Sport and MC Alger goalkeeper Abdelatif Ramdane. Zidane, 28, has recently missed international duty because of injury and a two-match suspension following scuffles during Algeria’s AFCON match against Nigeria in January.
The Leganes goalkeeper, a son of former France international Zinedine Zidane, switched his international allegiance in September 2025 to represent Algeria, where his family has roots. His exclusion came alongside that of Manchester City left-back Ait-Nouri, who was sent home in September following a reported disagreement with the coaching staff during a match against Zambia.
Hemdani said there was “no problem” surrounding Ait-Nouri’s latest omission, stressing that players had to meet the team’s selection criteria. “However, anything is possible in the future, and no one has been permanently excluded,” he said.Algeria will face Togo on November 14 and 17. They lead qualifying Group I with four points from two matches, ahead of further fixtures in a group that also includes Zambia and Burundi.
