Algeria aims to improve its chances of automatically qualifying for the 2026 World Cup when it hosts Botswana at the Hocine Ait Ahmed Stadium on Thursday.

Algeria leads Group G, having collected 15 points from its first six matches, three points ahead of Mozambique, which sits second before today’s kickoff.

Under coach Vladimir Petkovic, the team has scored the most goals (16) but has only kept one clean sheet. Their biggest win was 5-1 against Mozambique on March 25. They won their last three matches after Guinea broke their perfect record in qualifying with a 2-1 win in Algiers on June 6, 2024.

Ismael Bennacer has played only once for Algeria in the qualifiers due to injury issues and was left out of the current squad because he is not fit. The AC Milan midfielder missed the first two games of the new Serie A season.

Petkovic emphasized Bennacer’s importance to the team, saying, “Bennacer is struggling physically with zero preparation; he trained with Milan B and immediately suffered more physical issues. I hope he returns to his best because Ismael is very important for our national team.”

Botswana is still in the race as they sit in third place, three points behind Algeria. They recently won 2-0 against Somalia on March 25.

This victory was their third win in the group, following a 3-1 loss to Algeria on March 21, their biggest defeat.

They also lost to Mozambique (3-2) and Uganda (1-0), and need to win the return matches to have a chance to finish in the top two.