Riyad Mahrez has been appointed as Algeria's captain for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon, according to coach Djamel Belmadi's selection of a 28-player squad. The Manchester City forward will guide the team in their quest to defend the title won in 2019.
Among the 28 players named, 15 are former members of the 2019 championship-winning team. Algeria's group stage matches will see them face Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone in Group E, with the opening game against Sierra Leone scheduled for January 11 in Douala.
The squad includes goalkeepers Rais Mbolhi (Al Ittifaq), Alexandre Oukidja (Metz), and Moustapha Zeghba (Damak). Defenders listed are Youcef Atal (Nice), Abdelkader Bedrane (Esperance), Houcine Benayada (Etoile Sahel), Djamel Benlamri (Qatar SC), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Ilyes Chetti (Esperance), Reda Halaimia (Beerschot), Aissa Mandi (Villarreal), Mehdi Tahrat (Al Gharafa), and Mohamed Amine Tougai (Esperance).
Midfielders selected include Haris Belkebla (Stade Brest), Sofiane Bendebka (Al Fateh), Ismael Bennacer (AC Milan), Yacine Brahimi (Al Rayyan), Sofiane Feghouli (Galatasaray), Adam Ounas (Napoli), Ramiz Zerrouki (Twente Enschede), and Adem Zorgane (Charleroi). Forwards feature Mohamed El Amine Amoura (FC Lugano), Youcef Belaili (unattached), Said Benrahma (West Ham United), Farid Boulaya (Metz), Baghdad Bounedjah (Al Sadd), Mahrez, and Islam Slimani (Olympique Lyonnais).
