Algeria hand top job to Ibrahim Hamdani after 51-year Mediterranean Games wait

The Algerian Football Federation has appointed Ibrahim Hamdani as the new manager of the senior national team following the departure of Vladimir Petkovic.

Petkovic left after Algeria were eliminated from the last World Cup in the last 32, losing 2-0 to Switzerland. Hamdani now takes charge after leading Algeria’s under-21 side to a landmark gold medal at the Mediterranean Games in Italy.

The triumph ended a 51-year wait for Algeria to claim the title in the football competition. Hamdani’s team completed the tournament unbeaten, a run that significantly strengthened his case for the senior role.

He will be joined on the coaching staff by two former Algeria internationals, former captains Antar Yahia and Moussa Saib. Their appointments give the new manager the support of two men with considerable experience of the national team and international football.

Hamdani, 48, is a former midfielder who played for Caen, Strasbourg, Marseille and Rangers. His reputation as a player remains considerably stronger than his coaching profile, according to an assessment by French newspaper L’Equipe.

His managerial career began away from the spotlight in the lower levels of French football. He worked with clubs including Courbevoie and Marignane before moving into youth-team football, where his results eventually earned him a route into the Algeria set-up.

The promotion represents the biggest managerial challenge of Hamdani’s career. He must now demonstrate that his success with younger players can be transferred to the senior level, while dealing with the sporting expectations and public pressure that come with leading Algeria.

There will be little time for him to introduce his tactical ideas. Algeria are scheduled to host Zambia on 25 September before travelling to face Burundi four days later, on 29 September.

Those matches will be the opening two fixtures of Algeria’s qualifying campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which is due to be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Hamdani’s appointment therefore combines the promise of a coach who has just delivered a historic achievement with the demands of an immediate competitive test. His unbeaten Mediterranean Games campaign persuaded the federation that he was ready for the senior position, but the first signs of whether he can succeed at that level will come against Zambia and Burundi.