The 17th team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup

The result helped Algeria maintain the top position in Group G, becoming the 4th African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, along with 3 other representatives: Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

Under coach Vladimir Petkovic, Algeria showed the image of a team with a lot of experience and bravery. Star captain Riyad Mahrez continued to prove his class when contributing to all 3 goals. Mahrez had two assists for Mohamed Amoura in the 6th and 58th minutes, in between was a beautiful goal of his own in the 19th minute.

The match was billed as Somalia’s home game, but was actually held at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Algeria. Tens of thousands of local fans created a jubilant atmosphere as they watched their favorite team return to the biggest stage on the planet after a 12-year absence.

The 2026 World Cup will be Algeria's fifth appearance in history, after 1982, 1986, 2010 and 2014. Their best performance came at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, when the North African team reached the round of 16 and only lost to champions Germany after 120 breathless minutes.

Under the new format, Africa will have nine direct places to the 2026 World Cup. The remaining five group winners will be determined next week, while the four best runners-up will compete for a play-off spot in November.

In addition to the three co-host countries of the US, Canada and Mexico, 17 teams have already secured tickets to the World Cup, including Australia, Japan, Iran, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan (Asia), Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria (Africa), Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay (South America), and New Zealand (Oceania).