Algeria

Algeria, Les Fennecs (the Desert Foxes), are a North African powerhouse blending technical quality with passionate, fervent support drawn from home and a huge French-based diaspora. African champions in 1990 and 2019, the Algerians are one of the continent's proudest footballing nations.

Algeria authored one of the World Cup's most famous upsets in 1982, beating eventual finalists West Germany — only to be eliminated when West Germany and Austria played out the notorious 'Disgrace of Gijón,' a result that suited both and forced FIFA to change its scheduling rules. Their best run came in 2014, when a thrilling side reached the round of 16 and pushed eventual champions Germany to extra time. Algeria return to the World Cup in 2026 after missing the previous two editions.