Algeria's World Cup Hopes Hit by Benbouali Injury

What happened?

Algeria's national team has caused a major problem for striker Ndhir Benbouali after he suffered a serious injury, which could affect him before the start of the new football season.

The striker of Hungarian club Győr, who scored a goal in the 2026 World Cup finals against Jordan, suffered an injury that was initially described as minor, but later prevented him from participating against Austria in the final group stage matches.

Why does this injury matter?

Benbouali, after a short absence, returned surprisingly to training, and was intending to participate in the match against Switzerland, but he missed it in the end, after it was revealed that the injury was more serious than initially diagnosed.

The striker said in a post on his official account on the "X" platform: "So far, I don't know what kind of injury I have, but it's definitely serious".

What comes next?

Benbouali added: "Our World Cup adventure is over, I achieved my childhood dream of representing my country in the World Cup and scoring in this competition, and I wanted to do better, but my body had other plans".

He continued: "I'm sorry we couldn't go further in the World Cup, I thank everyone who supported me and believed in me, and I hope to see you soon".

Background

Benbouali's injury has raised questions about the medical team's handling of player injuries, given that this is not the first time this has happened, with similar cases involving Samir Cherqi and Johan Hadjam.