The coach of the Algerian national team, Vladimir Petkovic, has made his decision regarding Islam Slimani and Sofiane Feghouli ahead of the team’s next two matches.
In preparation for the upcoming games against Guinea and Uganda, scheduled for the third and fourth matchdays of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on June 6th and 10th respectively, Vladimir Petkovic has already assembled his preliminary squad. This squad includes around forty players, with approximately ten domestic players, including the returnee Youcef Belaïli, and around thirty overseas-based players, including Riyad Mahrez, as reported earlier this week.
However, according to details from the Compétition newspaper on Wednesday, Islam Slimani (Malines/Belgium), the all-time leading scorer for the national team, and Sofiane Feghouli (Fatih Karagümrük/Turkey) will not be part of the squad. Is this signaling international retirement for Slimani and Feghouli?
Having already been absent during the previous break in March, the 35-year-old striker and the 34-year-old midfielder seem to be moving towards international retirement, as their returns appear increasingly unlikely under Petkovic’s tenure. The same goes for goalkeeper Raïs M’Bolhi (38 years old), who is still recovering from a arm injury.
According to Compétition, citing close sources, this extended list is expected to undergo significant trimming to finalize a squad of 25 players, seven fewer than in March.
As a reminder, the Green squad’s training camp is set to begin on June 3rd, three days before their home match against Guinea at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers. As for the second match, Mahrez’s side will travel to Mandela National Stadium in Kampala to take on the Cranes. Leading Group G after two victories (3-1 against Somalia and 0-2 against Mozambique in November), the Greens aim to widen the gap with their rivals. It’s worth noting that only the top spot directly qualifies for the World Cup.
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