Algeria

In 1982, Algeria pulled off the 'Miracle of Gijón' — beating West Germany 2-1 to become the first African team to defeat a European side at a World Cup — only to be eliminated by the shameful 1-0 West Germany win over Austria, a mutually convenient result that prompted FIFA to introduce simultaneous final-group-stage games.

Algeria's best World Cup result came in 2014, when they reached the Round of 16 before losing 2-1 to eventual champions Germany in extra time — their goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi was outstanding throughout.

Algeria scored 4 goals against South Korea at Brazil 2014, becoming the first African team to score 4+ goals in a single World Cup match.

Luca Zidane — son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane — chose Algeria over France and recovered from a broken jaw and chin sustained in April 2026 to claim the third goalkeeper spot, writing his own story away from his father's shadow.

Mohamed Amoura was Algeria's top scorer in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with 10 goals in 8 matches, spearheading the Desert Foxes to CAF qualification after a 12-year absence from the global stage.

During Algeria's war of independence, stars like Rachid Mekhloufi walked out on their French clubs — giving up a likely place at the 1958 World Cup with France — to play for the underground FLN team that toured the world for the revolution.

Rabah Madjer's outrageous back-heel for Porto in the 1987 European Cup final became so iconic that in several countries a back-heel flick is simply called 'a Madjer' in the Algerian's honour.