Algeria has called up defender Ramy Bensebaini to its squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers against Zambia and Burundi. The call-up comes during the three-week international window starting this week and running into early October.
Bensebaini, who has 86 caps for his country, played every minute of Algeria's four matches at the 2026 World Cup. The defender sustained a rib injury in Borussia Dortmund's season opener against Bayern Munich and has managed just 21 minutes across two league appearances since returning to fitness.
Algeria will host Zambia on September 25 in a qualifier before traveling to face Burundi. A friendly against Niger is also scheduled for October 6. The team currently sits third in its World Cup qualifying group with four points from three games, having recorded one win, one draw, and one loss.
Meanwhile, Bensebaini's Dortmund teammate, Serhou Guirassy, has been called up by Guinea. The national team will face South Africa on September 26 and Kenya two days later. The 30-year-old striker has scored four goals and provided two assists in six appearances for his club this season.
Former Guinea coach Paulo Duarte previously said of the player: "Guirassy, who had already wrapped-up another successful club season with the BVB by then, was missing in action entirely." Guinea failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and played a friendly against Northern Ireland in June.
On the domestic front, Algeria appointed Brahim Hemdani as its new manager following the departure of Vladimir Petkovic. The team concludes its preparations to host Zambia on Thursday.
This story first appeared at bvbbuzz.com
