Algeria confirm third fixture as Niger visit Tizi Ouzou

Algeria will play Niger in a friendly at the Hocine Ait Ahmed Stadium on 6 October, giving the national team a third match during an unusually long September-October international window.

The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) confirmed the fixture after a meeting of its Federal Bureau, which also approved the make-up of the national team’s new technical staff. The extended FIFA window, lasting more than two weeks, allows international sides greater scope to arrange additional matches.

Algeria’s first assignments will come in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. The Fennecs will welcome Zambia to the Hocine Ait Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou on 25 September, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00.

Four days later, on 29 September, Algeria will travel to Bujumbura to face Burundi at 14:00.

The squad will then return home, where the team managed by the new coaching partnership of Ibrahim Hemdani and Anthar Yahia will remain together for the additional fixture. The FAF has scheduled the friendly against Niger for Tuesday, 6 October, at 20:30, again at the Hocine Ait Ahmed Stadium.

The Algerian federation had considered several other opponents for the date, including Mali and Chad, before selecting Niger.

The match will give Hemdani and Yahia an opportunity to continue making their first tactical adjustments and assess players within a squad that could undergo a number of changes after the 2026 World Cup.

It will also serve as preparation for Algeria’s next 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, which are due to take place in November. Those fixtures will include a meeting with Togo, followed by another encounter with Zambia.

Niger are familiar opponents for Algeria. The most recent meeting between the two countries took place on 27 March 2023 in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Algeria won 1-0 in Rades, Tunisia, with Baghdad Bounedjah scoring an early goal.

The two neighbouring nations have met nine times in all competitions. Algeria have dominated the overall record, recording eight victories compared with one defeat.

The October fixture will therefore provide Hemdani and Yahia with their first opportunity to experiment in a match without qualification points at stake, following two important competitive appointments against Zambia and Burundi.

For Algeria, the friendly adds another test to a demanding period in which the new technical team must begin shaping its plans for the next phase of the national side’s development. The two official qualifiers will remain the priority, but the additional game against Niger will offer valuable match time and a chance to evaluate the group before November’s fixtures.