After a week at the National Technical Center in Sidi Moussa, southwest of Algiers, the Algerian team is accelerating its preparation for the 2026 World Cup with a first major friendly match against the Netherlands, this Wednesday in Rotterdam. A hell of a test for Vladimir Petkovic’s team, against Virgil van Dijk’s Oranje, 7th in the Fifa rankings, before an easier meeting against Bolivia, in a week in Kansas City, near the selection’s base camp.
Quarter-finalists of the 2025 African Cup of Nations, beaten by a much more impressive Nigeria (2-0), on January 10 in Marrakech, the Algerians do not really know what to expect in their group J of the World Cup. The first match was a great match against Lionel Messi’s Argentina on June 16. For Riyad Mahrez and his teammates, they will then have to take the three points against Jordan, the weakest team in the group, before a possible “final” against Austria on June 27.
Algeria in unfavorable balance
But Algeria falls by the wayside from the group stage according to the site’s projections Football meets datawhich calculate the results of matches in different competitions. With Argentina, opposed to its Uruguayan brother, it is Austria which would reach the round of 16 of the World Cup to face Spain! According to statistical projections, the third in this group I would therefore not be part of the eight best thirds. The holidays would thus await Luca Zidane and his gang.
As a reminder, the 2026 World Cup is the first edition with 48 teams. The first two of the 12 groups as well as the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16. Always according to
Football meets datacounting three points with a goal difference of 0 would give 95% of being among the best thirds. Showing a goal difference of -3 at the end of the group stage (or worse) gives a 53% chance of being eliminated…
