Reports from L'Équipe indicate that six of the ten African teams that participated in the last World Cup have decided to change their head coaches. In preparation for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin at the end of this month, five of these teams have already appointed new coaches. Only Algeria is lagging behind.

Since Vahid Halilhodžić officially stepped down on August 3, the "Desert Foxes" have been without a confirmed head coach for nearly a month, and time is running out. At the end of this month, they will face their first two matches of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, playing at home against Zambia and then away against Burundi.

Playing like zombies, complete breakdown, and excessive joviality

Walid Sadi, President of the Algerian Football Federation and Minister of Sports, never anticipated this situation. Before the World Cup began, he chose to renew Halilhodžić's contract, hoping to maintain team stability. However, Algeria's performance in the World Cup was extremely disappointing. Worse still, the players had a complete breakdown with the former Swiss coach—Halilhodžić's actions after the humiliating 0-2 defeat that ended their World Cup campaign angered all of Algeria. This was particularly unbearable when, after Algeria was eliminated due to heavily criticized tactical choices and played like zombies throughout the match, he continued to joke around with Swiss players on the field, displaying an excessively casual attitude.

No contact with Renard, Plan A completely collapsed

After the World Cup, the Algerian Football Federation immediately began searching for a new coach. On social media, many "Desert Foxes" fans believed it was time to bring in Hervé Renard. The French coach had come close to coaching Algeria after the Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast, but this time there was no contact between the two parties, and this coaching search path was never truly pursued.

After contacting several foreign coaches, the Algerian Football Federation, through the National Technical Committee led by Rabah Saâdane, announced a shortlist of three candidates: Benítez, Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, and Félix Alexis. The former coach of Qatar and Ecuador did negotiate with Algeria but later stated he preferred an offer from Asia. Since then, Plan A for finding a coach has completely fallen apart.

No outstanding candidates emerged from the pool of local coaches either. Since Djamel Belmadi, Algeria has become the African country that offers the highest salaries to head coaches, which has attracted many candidates with varying credentials (Poyet, Stefano Cusin, etc.). The federation also contacted some coaches (Tudor, Xavi, etc.), but received no positive responses. However, were these contacts official actions by the federation, or the work of ambitious intermediaries?

Yahia: Interim mission potentially transitioning to co-coaching?

Ultimately, the Algerian Football Federation realized that there was no ideal candidate in the current coaching market to take over the national team. During the coaching vacuum, former international Antar Yahia was tasked with compiling a squad list for the September matches. The former defender has already called to reassure players and their clubs, alleviating their frustration stemming from the World Cup turmoil. Yahia's interim mission may transition into a long-term role, or even "upgrade" to co-coaching.

Currently, the Algerian Football Federation is seriously considering a joint coaching team of Yahia and Brahim Hemdani. Hemdani only entered the public eye a month ago; he was appointed head coach of the U20 national team in July and just led the Algerian U21 team to win the Mediterranean Games gold medal, the country's first victory in this competition since 1975.

The former Marseille player's coaching career is relatively modest, having coached in lower French leagues for Côte Bleue, Marignane, and Courbevoie. The advantage of both is that they have worn the Algerian national team jersey and are familiar with the current state and environment of Algerian football. If this solution is finally adopted, will they move beyond the "interim fix" role?

Despite their lack of top-tier coaching experience, the Algerian Football Federation is prepared to take this gamble, and if the collaboration goes well, it is hoped that they will work together long-term to prepare for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (June 19–July 18), co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The final decision will be made this Saturday at the Federation's executive committee meeting.

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