Nabil Bentaleb will miss Algeria’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Zambia and Burundi after an injury forced new coach Ibrahim Hamdani to make his first change to the squad, with Le Mans midfielder Adel Bourabia called up as his replacement.
Bentaleb suffered the injury while playing for Lille on Sunday, ruling him out of the national team’s training camp which began on Monday at the National Teams Preparation Center in Sidi Moussa.
The Algerian Football Federation confirmed the midfielder’s withdrawal in an official statement published across its digital platforms.
“Midfielder Nabil Bentaleb will miss the national team camp, following the injury he suffered on Sunday with his club Lille.”
The federation added: “To compensate for him, the national coach, Mr. Ibrahim Hamdani, decided to extend the invitation to the Le Mans midfielder, Adel Bourabia ,”
The call-up represents an opportunity for Bourabia, who has made an impressive start to the season with newly promoted Le Mans. The 21-year-old has been one of the standout performers in the French league, scoring three goals and providing two assists in five appearances.
Bourabia’s form had already attracted the attention of Hamdani, although the new Algeria coach initially opted to leave him with the Under-23 side.
The midfielder had been selected by Olympic team coach Rafik Saifi, who considers him an important part of his plans for the team’s qualification campaign for the African Cup of Nations at Under-23 level and the 2028 Olympic Games.
His promotion to the senior squad now gives him the chance to work under Hamdani and potentially feature in Algeria’s upcoming competitive fixtures.
The Greens began their first camp under Hamdani on Monday as preparations started for their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
Algeria will face Zambia on 25 September before travelling to face Burundi four days later on 29 September. The camp will then conclude with a friendly against Niger on 6 October.
Hamdani has already made several changes to the Algeria squad since taking charge. Twelve players who featured at the 2026 World Cup were left out of his first squad, including Ramez Zerrouki and Houssem Aouar.
Bourabia’s inclusion comes after calls from Algerian supporters for the youngster to be given an opportunity with the senior team. His omission from Hamdani’s original list had reportedly caused disappointment among sections of the supporters, who had been expecting changes following Algeria’s World Cup campaign.
Bentaleb had also been among the players whose place in the national team had been questioned by supporters because of his performances at the World Cup.
However, Hamdani had initially opted to retain the midfielder’s experience for the matches against Zambia and Burundi. His injury has now forced the coach to alter those plans and opened the door for Bourabia.
The Le Mans midfielder will now join the senior squad as Algeria begin a new phase under Hamdani, with his performances for the French club having earned him the opportunity to step up to international football.
