Algeria will return to the World Cup stage in 2026 for the first time since 2014. Led by Riyad Mahrez, the former Manchester City and Saudi Pro League star, the team will face defending champion Argentina in Group J—a historic matchup. Coach Vladimir Petković guided the team through the CAF qualifiers.

Coach Vladimir Petković has named four goalkeepers for the Desert Foxes: Luca Zidane, Oussama Benbot, Melvin Mastil, and Abdelatif Ramdane. Algeria will face Mexico, South Korea, and the Czech Republic in Group J. Since only three goalkeepers may be officially registered for the tournament, one of the four will be dropped before the first match. The quartet of goalkeepers includes the son of a soccer legend, a domestic veteran with nearly 100 Ligue 1 appearances, a 26-year-old talent from the Swiss second division, and a local starting goalkeeper from Algeria.

Zidane, the second son of Zinédine Zidane and his Spanish wife Véronique, is 27 years old. He has spent his entire career in his father’s shadow: part of Real Madrid’s youth system since 2004, promoted to the B team in 2016, and making occasional first-team appearances under his father, Zinédine. After Zinédine’s coaching tenure ended, he moved to Rayo Vallecano, Eibar, and, since the summer of 2024, to Granada in the Segunda División.

His switch to the national team was the decisive step: After progressing through all the French youth national teams up to the U20 level, he switched to the Algerian national team in 2025 via his Algerian paternal grandparents. He made his debut at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco—with his father in the stands. In April 2026, he suffered a broken jaw and chin against Almería and appeared set to miss the World Cup. However, just in time for the squad announcement, Petković declared him fit. This season, he has appeared in 23 league matches for Granada.

Benbot is 31 years old and the only goalkeeper in the trio to have played exclusively for Algerian clubs. From US Chaouia to USM Bel Abbès, DRB Tadjenanet and AS Aïn M'lila to JS Kabylie, where he played in 54 league matches, and finally, since August 2021, to USM Alger, where he established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper and extended his contract through 2027. With USM, he competed in the CAF Confederation Cup for three consecutive seasons, delivering his strongest international performances. This season, he has made twelve league appearances. With around eleven international caps since 2023, he is the most internationally experienced goalkeeper in the quartet after Zidane.

Mastil is 26 years old, stands 196 cm tall, and currently plays in the Swiss Challenge League—the second division—for Stade Nyonnais, where he moved on loan from Lausanne-Sport. His entire career has been spent in Swiss amateur soccer: Echichens, FC Azzurri 90 LS, Echallens, Biel-Bienne. This season, he has appeared in 32 Challenge League matches and holds a FotMob rating of 7.21. He played his only senior international match in 2026 in a friendly against Uruguay—as a substitute. The fact that Petković nominated him anyway is either an extraordinary sign of trust or a direct result of the injury problems in Algeria’s regular goalkeeper pool.