Meknes – The Algerian Football Federation has appointed former Algeria international Brahim Hemdani as their new head coach on Saturday.
The French-born manager takes immediate charge of the senior squad, taking the role just weeks ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
Hemdani played for Marseille and Rangers during his playing career, and earned two caps for Algeria in 2008.
Before stepping up to the senior national team, his coaching background largely involved French amateur clubs until his appointment as Algeria’s under-20 head coach two months ago.
The former international’s quick rise to the senior team comes after the departure of Vladimir Petkovic, whose contract was terminated by the Algerian Football Federation in August.
The decision ended the Swiss manager’s time in charge after guiding the team to the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32, despite an agreement that was set to keep him at the helm until 2028.
Algeria’s World Cup run ended with a 2–0 loss to Switzerland. The defeat came just months after another early exit from a major tournament, when they were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations in the quarter-finals to Nigeria by the same scoreline.
Algeria will begin its Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign at home against Zambia in Tizi-Ouzou on September 25. The team will then travel to face Burundi four days later.
Hemdani now faces the immediate challenge of restoring stability and momentum to the national team.
With little time to settle in, his main priority will be guiding Algeria through the upcoming qualifiers and building a team capable of competing for the title.
