The backlines of Botswana and Guinea could be forgiven for quaking in their boots at the looming prospect of renewing acquaintances with Algeria in the FIFA World Cup 26™ qualifiers. After six rounds of games, Les Verts top the scoring charts in the African preliminaries with 16 goals split between ten different scorers.
Ahead of that double-header, FIFA profiles some of the Algerian goal-getters who have exhibited their scoring instincts in Group G so far and will be seeking to help their country to a pair of wins that could prove enough to seal a spot at next year’s tournament.
Mohamed Amoura
Amoura is the Fennecs’ top scorer in the campaign who, remarkably, net all five of his goals in March this year, as he followed up a brace in the 3-1 away to Botswana with a hat-trick in the 5-1 home mauling of Mozambique. The Wolfsburg sharpshooter sits joint-second in the overall standings in the CAF qualifiers for next year’s global extravaganza, one goal shy of Egyptian legend Mohamed Salah.
Amoura has gradually established himself as a rising star and regular starter for the side, clocking up 13 goals in 33 appearances to climb on to the list of his country’s top ten scorers.
Amine Gouiri
Like Amoura, Gouiri could be a fixture in the Algeria line-up for years to come. The cultured attacker enjoyed a stellar second half of the 2024-25 campaign with Marseille, scoring ten and providing three assists in 14 Ligue 1 outings after moving from Rennes. He was also on the scoresheet in the previous bout against Botswana and will be bidding to earn more stripes against the Zebras and Guinea next month. “We’ll give everything and do everything we can to go to the World Cup, because we’ve missed two in a row since we last qualified,” the ex-France youth international told FIFA following March’s win over Botswana.
The former Lyon, Nice and Rennes hotshot has all the attributes required to make a lasting impact for Algeria and has chalked up six goals in 15 caps since making his international debut in 2023. He has the opportunity to carry on cutting his teeth at the very highest level in this season’s UEFA Champions League with Marseille, as he battles with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for game time.
Houssem Aouar
After failing to hit the heights many expected while at Roma in 2023-24, Aouar has rediscovered his mojo since a move to Saudi outfit Al Ittihad, where he has thrived under the stewardship of Laurent Blanc. The attacking midfielder has hit the ground running in the Kingdom and lifted the first two trophies of his career by tasting glory in the Saudi Pro League and the King’s Cup. Furthermore, he has scaled new heights on the scoring front: with 13 goals last term, he smashed his previous personal best of nine, achieved at Lyon in 2019-20.
The 27-year-old’s displays have not gone unnoticed by Petkovic, who has high hopes that Aouar can wow crowds in an Algeria shirt on a regular basis. The silky schemer, who came through the academy at hometown club Lyon, turned out in one senior friendly for France after previously representing the country of his birth at U-17 and U-21 levels. He switched his international allegiance in 2023, going on to plunder five goals in 14 matches for the Fennecs.
Said Benrahma
Much like Aouar, Benrahma is sparkling in Saudi Arabia following a spell at Lyon, in his case at top division new boys Neom. Having joined the club initially on loan halfway through last season, the winger struck seven goals in 16 appearances to help fire them to promotion in what was his best scoring return in a league campaign since 2021-22, when he netted eight in 32 Premier League outings for West Ham.
Although he started and slotted home the winner away to Uganda earlier in the campaign, Benrahma has largely been confined to a supersub brief for his national side as of late. However, the livewire – who also previously featured for Brentford, Angers and Nice, among others – could yet force his way back into the first XI for his country if he continues to shine for Christophe Galtier’s side.
Baghdad Bounedjah
Though he is approaching his mid-30s, Bounedjah continues to put up sensational numbers in Qatar, where he has been dazzling for the last decade. After his exit from Al Sadd, where 222 goals in 252 encounters cemented his status as a club legend, the Oran-born predator promptly picked up where he had left off, finding the net 19 times in 23 games for new employers Al Shamal. Where the road to next year’s World Cup is concerned, the stalwart led the line and broke the deadlock in Algeria’s campaign-opening win over Somalia.
Bounedjah is always ready to answer his country’s call and, having missed out on the qualifiers in March, will be desperate to return to the fold as soon as possible and to add to his 32 international goals. This tally makes him his nation’s third-highest scorer alongside Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani.
Fares Chaibi
Born in the same Lyon suburb (Bron) as a certain Karim Benzema, Chaibi is one of Algeria’s brightest prospects. The attack-minded midfield marvel learnt his trade at Toulouse, where he capped his breakthrough season with the Coupe de France title, before deciding to try his luck in the Bundesliga with Frankfurt.
Despite having displayed glimpses of his talent, the 22-year-old has yet to fully blossom in Germany, and coach Dino Toppmoller seems to have earmarked a more defensive role for him this term. This switch could give Chaibi a fresh lease of life not just at club level but also on the international stage, where he has failed to nail down a spot in Petković’s starting line-up. The youngster chipped in with the opening goal in the 2-0 victory over Mozambique on the second matchday of this qualifying campaign and will hope to make his mark again in the upcoming contests, whether as an anchorman or further forward.
