The Algerian national team qualified for the fifth time in its history for the FIFA World Cup after defeating Somalia 3-0 on Thursday in Oran, during the ninth round, the penultimate of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

At the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran, in front of about 40,000 spectators, captain Riyad Mahrez, the star of Al Ahli Saudi Club, led his team to victory by assisting the first and third goals scored by Mohamed Amoura (6th and 58th minutes), and scoring the second goal himself (19th minute).

Algeria tops Group 7 with 19 points, ahead of Uganda and Mozambique with 15 points each.

Algeria raised the number of Arab teams qualified for the World Cup to five, after Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt.