Algeria coach Brahim Hemdani has left goalkeeper Luca
Zidane and defender Rayan Ait-Nouri out of his 26-man squad for this month's
Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Togo.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, November 5,
Hemdani said Zidane's omission was "based on sporting criteria,"
explaining that regular club appearances influenced his selection. "I need
to have three goalkeepers who were getting as much playing time as
possible," he said.
The coach picked USM Alger's Oussama Benbot, Melvin
Mastil of Swiss club Lausanne-Sport and MC Alger goalkeeper Abdelatif Ramdane.
Zidane, 28, has recently missed international duty because of injury and a
two-match suspension following scuffles during Algeria's AFCON match against
Nigeria in January.
The Leganes goalkeeper, a son of former France
international Zinedine Zidane, switched his international allegiance in
September 2025 to represent Algeria, where his family has roots.
His exclusion came alongside that of Manchester City
left-back Ait-Nouri, who was sent home in September following a reported
disagreement with the coaching staff during a match against Zambia. Hemdani
said there was "no problem" surrounding Ait-Nouri's latest omission,
stressing that players must meet the team's selection criteria. "However,
anything is possible in the future, and no one has been permanently
excluded," he said.
Algeria will face Togo on November 14 and 17. They
lead qualifying Group I with four points from two matches, ahead of further
fixtures in a group that also includes Zambia and Burundi.
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