Algeria W

1957–1958: ALN

In 1956, in Tunis, Tunisia, the first team representing Algeria was formed, the Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN) team led by Ahmed Benelfoul and Habib Draoua. The team was approved by the FLN in May 1957 and was managed by Salah Saidou, with Abdelkader Zerrar as captain. The first game was played on 1 June 1957 against Tunisia in the Stade Chedly Zouiten. In April 1958, the team was dissolved and was replaced by the FLN team.

1958–1962: FLN

The FLN football team was a team made up mainly of professional players in France, who then joined the Algerian independence movement of the National Liberation Front (FLN), and assisted in organizing football matches against national football teams. The FLN linked African football to anti-colonial resistance using the idea of Pan-Africanism as a legitimizing tool and symbol of national identity. The French authorities easily obtained the non-recognition of the team by FIFA.

1962–1980

Football in Algeria was established in the 1890s by European settlers bringing the sport to the country. The Algerian football team was established in 1962 after gaining independence from France, as the successor of the FLN football team. Under French rule, Algeria was not allowed to have a national team, the FLN football team was sort of a rebellion against the French colonization. All of their games were considered friendlies and were unrecognized by FIFA. During a press conference in Tunis, the Algerian football team refused to make any political statements, referring to football as a sport rather than a political influence. After the Algerian national football team was officially recognized by FIFA in 1963, the team qualified for the 1968 Africa Cup of Nations and failed to qualify for the next five editions of the AFCON until 1980.

1982 FIFA World Cup

Algeria caused one of the greatest World Cup upsets on the first day of the tournament with a 2–1 victory over defending European champions West Germany.

In the final match in the group between West Germany and Austria, with Algeria and Chile having already played their final group game the day before, the European teams knew that a West German win by one or two goals would qualify them both, while a larger West German victory would qualify Algeria over Austria, and a draw or an Austrian win would eliminate the West Germans. After 10 minutes of all-out attack, West Germany scored through a goal by Horst Hrubesch, with the two teams kicking the ball around aimlessly after. Chants of "Fuera, fuera" ("Out, out") were screamed by the Spanish crowd, while angry Algerian supporters waved banknotes at the players. This performance was widely deplored, even by the West German and Austrian fans. Algeria protested to FIFA, who ruled that the result be allowed to stand; FIFA introduced a revised qualification system at subsequent World Cups in which the final two games in each group were played simultaneously.

1986 FIFA World Cup

In 1984, Algeria finished in third place in the AFCON in Ivory Coast. During the 1986 AFCON, Algeria recorded two defeats and one draw, being eliminated in the first round. In Mexico, at the 1986 World Cup, the Algerians were unable to pass the first round once again in a group that included Northern Ireland (1–1 draw), Brazil (1–0 loss), and Spain (3–0 loss). Only one Algerian scored during this competition, Djamel Zidane. Algeria then failed to qualify for another World Cup until 2010.

1990–2008

Algeria hosted the 1990 AFCON, being drawn into Group A, with Nigeria (who they defeated 5–1), Ivory Coast (a 3–0 win), and Egypt (with Algeria winning 2–0), before reaching a final that had a crowd of 105,302 fans at Chérif Oudjani. In a rematch against Nigeria, Algeria won the AFCON for the first time.

After winning the AFCON, Algeria barely missed out in qualifying to the 1990 World Cup, and the country was on the brink of a civil war. Although Algeria qualified to the 1992 African Cup of Nations, the title holders were eliminated in the first round of the competition.

In the 1994 African Cup of Nations Algeria was disqualified from the tournament after fielding an ineligible player. Algeria returned to the 1996 African Cup of Nations, but were eliminated by hosts South Africa in the quarter-finals. Two years later, Algeria finished last in its group with three defeats and was eliminated in the group stage.

In 2000, the Fennecs passed the first round only to lose to 2–1 to eventual champions Cameroon in the quarter-finals. They then were eliminated in the first round in 2002, before losing to hosts Tunisia in the 2004 final. They then failed to qualify for either the AFCON or World Cup in 2006, and missed the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

2010 AFCON and 2010 World Cup

On 11 October 2008, Algeria returned to the top 20 in the FIFA World Rankings by finishing first in their group ahead of Senegal, Gambia, and Liberia for the second round in the combined 2010 World Cup and 2010 African Cup of Nations qualification rounds. In the third and final round of the qualifiers, Algeria was joined by Zambia, Rwanda, and Egypt in group C.

A playoff game was played in Sudan in November 2009 with the winner qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa. Algeria won 1–0 after a stunning goal from Anthar Yahia and qualified for the finals for the third time in their history.

After qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa, Algeria finished fourth in the 2010 African Cup of Nations.