A left-field call over the early favourites
Herve Renard, Gustavo Poyet, Roberto Martinez, Eric Chelle. The names kept coming in recent weeks as Algeria looked for a successor to Vladimir Petkovic. The Algerian federation went another way: Brahim Hemdani is taking charge of the Greens, as announced by state television.
It is a name that raises eyebrows because it has flown under the radar. It makes a lot more sense when you look at the logic behind the decision. Hemdani has been in charge of Algeria’s Under-21s since June, barely three months, and he has already delivered a gold medal at the Mediterranean Games with the U21s this summer.
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From Cannes to Rangers, then Marignane
Born in Colombes, Hemdani is 48. His playing career first told a French story: Cannes from 1997 to 1998, Strasbourg from 1998 to 2001, Olympique de Marseille from 2001 to 2005, then Glasgow Rangers until 2010.
Two caps for Algeria. Not much for a man who now inherits the Greens’ dugout, and it says plenty about the profile the federation wanted. They were not hunting for a dressing-room icon at home.
His spell at Marignane-Gignac is still his real coaching calling card. Between 2022 and 2025, he guided the club up to National 1, now known as Ligue 3. A job done in the lower divisions, out of the spotlight, and a world away from the international CVs of the other contenders.
Two matches to get going
Antar Yahia and Moussa Saib, two former Algeria internationals, will serve as his assistants. The pair bring to the staff the sort of national-team know-how the new boss never built up on the pitch.
The schedule leaves no room to breathe. Algeria begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign this month. Home to Zambia on 25 September, away to Burundi on 29.
Three weeks to settle a method, set a pecking order and nail down a first-choice XI. The Petkovic chapter is over in a hurry.
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