Algeria will begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Zambia on Friday as new head coach Brahim Hemdani takes charge of the national team for the first time.
The Greens will welcome Zambia to the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 local time on 25 September.
The match starts a new chapter for Algeria under Hemdani, who has been handed an immediate test against an opponent the North Africans have faced regularly over the years.
The two nations have met 16 times in recognised international matches, with Algeria holding the better record. The Greens have won eight of those encounters, drawn three and lost five.
Algeria have also scored more goals across those meetings, finding the net 21 times compared with Zambia’s 12.
Their first recorded meeting came on 10 June 1977 during qualifying for the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations. Algeria won the first leg 2-0 before Zambia produced the same score in the return fixture.
The teams have subsequently crossed paths in both Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifying.
At the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, they have met four times. Algeria have won once, while two matches ended in draws and Zambia have recorded one victory.
Their World Cup qualifying record also favours Algeria. Across six meetings, the Greens have four wins compared with two for Zambia.
However, Zambia have demonstrated in recent years that the historical record does not guarantee an easy match for Algeria.
The Chipolopolo won both of the sides’ World Cup qualifying meetings in September 2017. Zambia recorded a 3-1 victory in Lusaka before winning 1-0 in Constantine.
Algeria responded strongly when the teams met again in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
On 14 November 2019, the Greens defeated Zambia 5-0 in Blida, producing one of their biggest victories in the fixture.
The most recent meeting between the two sides ended without a winner.
When Algeria travelled to Lusaka on 25 March 2021, the match produced six goals as the teams drew 3-3.
Friday’s encounter will therefore bring together two teams with a history of competitive matches, including recent results that show Zambia can cause problems despite Algeria’s overall advantage.
For Hemdani, the match is significant beyond the historical rivalry.
It will be his first game in charge of the senior national team and the beginning of Algeria’s attempt to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The coach will then have a short period to continue assessing his team.
Algeria are scheduled to travel to Bujumbura to face Burundi on 29 September before completing the gathering with a friendly against Niger in Tizi Ouzou on 6 October.
Zambia have already made their ambitions clear ahead of the opening encounter, adding further significance to the first meeting of the new qualifying campaign.
The match in Tizi Ouzou will therefore provide Hemdani with his first opportunity to begin shaping the new Algeria in a competitive setting.
While the historical record gives the Greens an advantage on paper, their two defeats in the most recent six meetings with Zambia underline the challenge facing the hosts.
Algeria will be looking to turn their overall record into a winning start, while Hemdani begins his tenure with the immediate task of launching the team’s 2027 AFCON campaign positively.
