Algeria will look to take a step closer towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup when they host Botswana at the Hocine Ait Ahmed Stadium on 4 September. Kick-off is at 9pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
Current form:
The Fennecs lead the way in Group G after picking up 15 points from their opening six matches and they are three points clear of Mozambique, who occupy the playoff spot.
Vladimir Petkovic's side have only kept one clean sheet, but they've scored by far the most goals (16), with the biggest win (5-1) coming against the Mambas on March 25.
📸| حصة تدريبية لعناصر المنتخب الوطني لأقل من 20 سنة بالملحق التابع لملعب 5 جويلية#LesVerts_U20 | #123vivalAlgérie🇩🇿 pic.twitter.com/bT1qxiA1Jx
— Fédération Algérienne de Football (@FAFAlgeria) September 2, 2025
The North Africans have won their last three games after Guinea ended their 100 per cent record in qualifying with a surprise 2-1 victory in Algiers on 6 June 2024.
Botswana aren't out of the picture yet as they trail their Cosafa rivals by three points in third place after beating Somalia 2-0 on March 25.
It was the Zebras' third win in the group after they bounced back from a 3-1 loss to Algeria on March 21 which was their biggest defeat of the campaign.
📸| حصة تدريبية للاعبي المنتخب الوطني لأقل من 17 سنة بملحق ملعب مصطفى تشاكر#LesVerts_U17 | #123vivalAlgérie🇩🇿 pic.twitter.com/E4BZkp5958
— Fédération Algérienne de Football (@FAFAlgeria) September 2, 2025
Morena Ramoreboli's side also lost to Mozambique (3-2) and Uganda (1-0) and they need to win the return legs to stand a chance of finishing in the top two.
What was said:
Algeria head coach on omitting Ismael Bennacer from his squad: "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."
Players to watch:
Algeria - Mohamed Amoura has played a key role for the Fennecs in qualifying, scoring five goals and providing three assists in six appearances. The Wolfsburg striker was on target twice against Botswana in the away leg and he bagged a hat-trick in the rout of Mozambique most recently, making him the top scorer in Group G.
Botswana - Eight different players have found the back of the net for the Zebras, who have only failed to get on the scoresheet once (against the Cranes). Kabelo Seakanyeng is the only one to have scored more than once, having bagged the winner against Guinea before sealing a 3-1 victory over the Ocean Stars with a 72nd-minute penalty.
Head-to-Head:
Matches - 3
Algeria wins - 3
Botswana wins - 0
Draws - 0