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Algérie : Ramy Bensebaini inquiète avant le début de la Coupe du Monde 2026
À quelques heures du coup d’envoi de la Coupe du Monde 2026, qui débute ce jeudi en Amérique du Nord, l’Algérie doit composer avec une incertitude de taille concernant l’un de ses cadres défensifs. Ramy Bensebaini, pilier des Fennecs depuis plusieurs années, n’offre pas encore toutes les garanties sur le plan physique.
Un cadre incontournable des Fennecs
À 31 ans, le défenseur du Borussia Dortmund demeure une pièce essentielle du dispositif de Vladimir Petkovic. Fort de ses 81 sélections, agrémentées de 7 buts et 5 passes décisives, l’ancien Rennais apporte son expérience et son leadership à la sélection algérienne.
Malgré une saison 2025-2026 perturbée par des pépins physiques, Bensebaini a affiché un rendement remarquable avec le club allemand. Toutes compétitions confondues, il a inscrit 7 buts et délivré 3 passes décisives en 32 rencontres, confirmant son importance des deux côtés du terrain. amunra-opinie.pl
Une blessure qui tombe au mauvais moment
Cependant, la fin de saison a été marquée par une blessure au pied qui l’a contraint à manquer les trois dernières journées de Bundesliga avec le Borussia Dortmund. Une situation qui a suscité des interrogations avant l’annonce de la liste des Fennecs pour le Mondial.
Confiant dans le potentiel de son joueur, Vladimir Petkovic a tout de même décidé de le retenir pour la Coupe du Monde 2026. Beaucoup s’attendaient alors à le voir retrouver les terrains lors des matchs de préparation face aux Pays-Bas et à la Bolivie. Pourtant, le défenseur algérien est resté sur le banc lors de ces deux rencontres.
Une course contre la montre avant le Mondial
Son absence nourrit désormais les inquiétudes à l’approche du match Argentine – Algérie. Même s’il figure dans le groupe algérien, Ramy Bensebaini semble encore en phase de récupération. Le staff médical des Fennecs espère toutefois le voir retrouver progressivement son meilleur niveau au fil de la compétition.
Reste à savoir si l’expérimenté défenseur pourra rapidement retrouver l’intégralité de ses moyens afin d’aider l’Algérie à réussir son aventure nord-américaine et à atteindre ses ambitions lors de cette Coupe du Monde 2026.
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Coupe du Monde 2026 – Algérie : Riyad Mahrez ou Anis Hadj Moussa, Vladimir Petkovic face à un casse-tête
La Coupe du Monde 2026 commence ce jeudi et une question anime les débats autour de la sélection algérienne. Qui de Riyad Mahrez ou d’Anis Hadj Moussa doit occuper le flanc droit de l’attaque des Fennecs ?
Entre l’expérience du capitaine historique et l’éclosion d’un jeune talent en pleine confiance, le sélectionneur Vladimir Petkovic devra prendre une décision importante pour l’équilibre de son équipe.
Riyad Mahrez, un leader historique toujours indispensable
Riyad Mahrez demeure l’un des plus grands joueurs de l’histoire de l’Algérie. En 114 sélections, l’ailier d’Al Ahli Saudi a inscrit 38 buts et délivré 44 passes décisives. Malgré ses 35 ans, il continue d’afficher un rendement intéressant avec son club, où il a terminé la saison avec huit buts et quinze passes décisives en 44 rencontres toutes compétitions confondues.
Cependant, lors des deux derniers matchs amicaux de préparation au Mondial, le capitaine algérien est resté discret. Ni but ni passe décisive pour l’ancien joueur de Manchester City, alors que l’Algérie cherchait à peaufiner ses automatismes avant le grand rendez-vous.
Anis Hadj Moussa, la révélation qui bouscule la hiérarchie
Dans le même temps, Anis Hadj Moussa a marqué de précieux points. Longtemps à la recherche de son premier but sous le maillot algérien, l’attaquant a finalement débloqué son compteur le 3 juin dernier en offrant la victoire aux Fennecs face aux Pays-Bas (1-0). Six jours plus tard, il a confirmé sa bonne forme en participant au large succès contre la Bolivie (4-0) avec une nouvelle réalisation.
Un élément retient particulièrement l’attention. En effet, lors de ces deux rencontres, Hadj Moussa est entré en jeu à la place de Riyad Mahrez avant de faire basculer les matchs. De quoi renforcer sérieusement sa candidature pour une place de titulaire à la Coupe du Monde 2026.
Petkovic face à un casse-tête tactique avant le Mondial
Face à cette situation, un repositionnement de Mahrez pourrait représenter une solution idéale. Grâce à sa qualité technique, sa vision du jeu et son immense expérience, le capitaine algérien pourrait évoluer dans un rôle de numéro 10, juste derrière l’avant-centre. Cette option permettrait à Vladimir Petkovic de conserver l’influence de son joueur le plus expérimenté tout en profitant de la forme étincelante d’Anis Hadj Moussa sur le côté droit.
Reste désormais à savoir quel choix effectuera le sélectionneur des Fennecs. Fidèle au système en 4-3-3, le technicien suisse pourrait néanmoins opter pour un 4-2-3-1 afin d’associer Mahrez et Hadj Moussa dans le onze de départ. Une décision stratégique qui pourrait avoir une influence majeure sur les ambitions algériennes lors de cette Coupe du Monde 2026.
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Mondial 2026 : le Cap-Vert, archipel au rythme du football
Pour la première fois de son histoire, l’archipel du Cap-Vert participera à la Coupe du monde de football. Avec à peine un demi-million d’habitants, le pays des “requins bleus” sera l’une des plus petites nations à participer aux Mondial 2026. Un moment historique pour l’archipel, mobilisé comme jamais pour se préparer à cette compétition. Mais aussi un vent d’espoir dans les quartiers populaires de Praia, la capitale, où le ballon rond est devenu une échappatoire pour une jeunesse délaissée. Reportage de Simon Martin et Sarah Sakho.
Wanda Diamond League: Cooper Lutkenhaus and Timothy Cheruiyot win brilliant battles in Oslo
Narrow wins by Cooper Lutkenhaus and Timothy Cheruiyot, sprint victories by Julien Alfred and Letsile Tebogo, and statement triumphs by Chase Jackson and Alison dos Santos highlighted the Wanda Diamond League action in Oslo on Wednesday, 10 June 2026.
An 800m battle between the world and Olympic champion and the world indoor champion ended in a photo finish as Lutkenhaus made it two out of two for Diamond League victories.
The US world indoor champion won his Diamond League debut in Stockholm in 1:42.70 – then the fastest outdoor time in the world this year – and just three days later he emulated that performance at the Bislett Games in Oslo, running a world-leading PB of 1:42.08 to move to joint 14th on the world all-time list.
The 17-year-old tracked two-time global gold medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi for the first lap, waiting for his moment to strike. Lutkenhaus kicked past his rival with 200 metres to go but Wanyonyi fought back – finishing just a hundredth of a second back as Lutkenhaus dived over the line to narrowly miss the meeting record of 1:42.04 set by world record-holder David Rudisha in 2010.
Marco Arop, who finished second to Lutkenhaus in Stockholm – a meeting that Wanyonyi missed following the birth of his first child – was third this time in 1:43.33.
“It was a very tough race and I had to dive for the line to be sure of the win,” said Lutkenhaus. “I knew he (Wanyonyi) was on my shoulder and I was willing the line to come towards me.
“To beat the Olympic champion is awesome and it means a lot. I have not seen the grazes yet from my dive but I think they will hurt in the shower later.”
Kenya’s Cheruiyot dipped to his first Diamond League win since 2021, the 2019 world 1500m champion beating a stacked field in the Dream Mile. In another photo finish, both Cheruiyot and Yared Nuguse clocked 3:48.21 – the fastest outdoor time in the world so far this year – but after winning the 1500m from Cameron Myers and Cheruiyot in Stockholm, Olympic bronze medallist Nuguse had to settle for second place this time. Myers was third in 3:48.35 and the top 10 all finished inside 3:50.
Yared Nuguse and Timothy Cheruiyot battle for the line in Oslo (© Diamond League AG / Thomas Windestam)
Alfred, Tebogo and Dos Santos in control
Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo cruised to his first Diamond League win of the season, clocking a season’s best of 19.84 (0.2m/s) in the 200m despite easing down on his approach to the finish line.
Sinesipho Dambile was second in Stockholm and he repeated the feat in Oslo, running 20.12 this time. Jereem Richards was third in 20.50 and Gout Gout – who ran a world lead and world U20 record of 19.67 in April – finished sixth on his Diamond League debut in 20.60.
Saint Lucia’s Olympic champion Julien Alfred picked up from where she left off last year – powering to victory in her first Diamond League 100m since her win in the final in September. Dominating the race, she ran a wind-assisted 10.76 (3.2m/s) ahead of world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt (10.99) and Zoe Hobbs (11.03).
Brazil’s 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos won his fourth hurdles race of the year – and his third head-to-head against home star Karsten Warholm – taking the 400m hurdles in 46.89. Dos Santos beat the world record-holder in Shanghai and Xiamen, and then won a promotional race in Stockholm, and he maintained that form to win clearly again in the 10th-fastest time of his career. Warholm, who hit an early barrier, finished second in 47.40.
Slovak record-holder Emma Zapletalová also continued her strong start to the season, winning her third Diamond League 400m hurdles race of the year in 53.13. Rushell Clayton went one better than in Rabat and Rome, finishing second in 53.50.
Meeting record for Jackson
World indoor champion Chase Jackson turned the tables on world champion Jessica Schilder in the shot put, throwing a meeting record of 20.74m to clinch her first Diamond League win of the season. After finishing runner-up to Schilder in Shanghai and Stockholm, USA’s Jackson showed she meant business by throwing her winning mark in the first round. The performance is just 21 centimetres off her own US record and improves the meeting record of 20.26m set by Valerie Adams in 2011. Schilder, who threw a Diamond League record of 21.09m in Shanghai, was second this time with 20.11m.
Chase Jackson in Oslo (© Diamond League AG / Marta Gorczynska)
Freweyni Hailu threatened the meeting record in the 3000m, rebounding after her third-place finish in the 5000m in Rome by winning in a world-leading 8:24.22, 0.02 off the record. She led an Ethiopian top four and was followed home by Rome winner Likina Amebaw in 8:25.15, Senayet Getachew in a PB of 8:25.85, Hawi Abera in a PB of 8:27.18 and Netherlands’ Maureen Koster in 8:27.67.
Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune held off the fast-finishing Birhanu Balew of Bahrain to win the 5000m, running a world-leading PB of 12:47.62 to Balew’s Asian record of 12:47.73. Yihune, who also won the Diamond League in Xiamen, took two seconds off his previous best, which was also run in Oslo in 2024. World 10,000m bronze medallist Andreas Almgren was third in 12:48.61 and Parker Wolfe took almost 10 seconds off his PB with 12:49.45 for fourth. The top 11 dipped under 13 minutes, including Australia’s Ky Robinson who improved the Oceanian record to 12:50.82.
Henriette Jæger delighted the home fans in the first international race of the evening, winning the 400m in a season’s best of 49.52, just 0.03 off the PB she set when finishing third in last year’s Diamond League final. The 2025 world indoor bronze medallist ran unchallenged, finishing clear ahead of world indoor champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel (50.13) and multiple global medallist Natalia Bukowiecka (50.34).
Australia’s world bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall won the pole vault in Stockholm, handing Mondo Duplantis his first defeat in almost three years. Duplantis wasn’t among his rivals in Oslo but Marschall doubled his number of career Diamond League victories, securing top spot again with a clearance of 5.82m. Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen was second on countback with a best of 5.72m.
Former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie became the first athlete to make 100 Diamond League appearances. The seven-time Diamond League champion, who made his series debut in 2010, finished ninth on 5.42m.
After winning in Xiamen with a Diamond League record and the second-best javelin performance in history of 71.74m, China’s Yan Ziyi secured another win in her first Diamond League meeting outside of China. The 18-year-old threw 67.11m. from her opening attempt and that proved more than enough for victory. She followed it with 64.81m in the second round before passing her remaining attempts. Norway’s Sigrid Borge was second with 61.92m from the fifth round.
Jamaica’s world indoor silver medallist Jordan Scott beat the two athletes who joined him on the world indoor triple jump podium in Poland – champion Andy Díaz and bronze medallist Yasser Triki – by leaping a wind-assisted 17.66m (2.6m/s). Díaz was just seven centimetres off that mark and so secured second place ahead of Triki with a wind-aided 17.43m (2.4m/s).
Davisleydi Velazco soared to her first Diamond League triple jump win, leaping a wind-assisted 14.85m (2.3m/s) in the first round. World indoor bronze medallist Saly Sarr was just 10 centimetres off that mark with a wind-legal jump in the fifth round but Velazco held on to top spot as her Cuban compatriot Leyanis Pérez, the world champion, completed the top three with 14.60m (2.2m/s).
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It’s time for Africa: FIFA World Cup 2026 begins with 10 teams representing continent
Africa will make history at FIFA World Cup 2026 with 10 teams representing the continent, the largest African contingent ever seen at the tournament.
The competition kicks off on Thursday in North America, with South Africa facing co-hosts Mexico in the opening match, and for the first time Africa will have double-digit representation on football’s biggest stage.
Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia will carry the continent’s hopes at the expanded 48-team tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
It is a landmark moment for African football, coming four years after Morocco became the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final at Qatar 2022.
The increase in representation gives the continent a wider opportunity to build on that breakthrough and to challenge deeper into the competition than ever before.
Africa’s World Cup story began in 1934, when Egypt became the first team from the continent to appear at the finals.
For decades, African representation remained limited.
Morocco became the continent’s next participant in 1970, before DR Congo, then competing as Zaire, appeared in 1974.
Tunisia followed in 1978, before Algeria and Cameroon represented Africa at the 1982 tournament.
By 1986, Algeria and Morocco carried the continent’s hopes, while Cameroon and Egypt featured in 1990.
The 1994 World Cup saw Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria represent Africa, before the continent had five teams for the first time in 1998: Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia.
That five-team representation continued in 2002, with Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia, before Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Tunisia qualified for the 2006 tournament.
Africa’s previous record came in 2010, when six teams appeared at the World Cup hosted by South Africa.
Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa were all present, with Ghana going on to reach the quarter-finals before losing to Uruguay on penalties.
In 2014, Africa was represented by Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria.
Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia qualified in 2018, while Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia carried African hopes in Qatar in 2022.
Morocco’s run to the semi-finals in Qatar changed the global perception of African teams at the World Cup.
The Atlas Lions defeated Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their way to the last four, giving African football its strongest statement yet at the tournament.
Now, with 10 teams involved, the continent has more chances to create another historic run.
Cape Verde’s qualification is one of the standout stories of the 2026 tournament, with the island nation set for its first World Cup appearance.
DR Congo also return to the global stage for the first time since 1974, adding another powerful storyline to Africa’s participation.
South Africa’s return is also significant. Bafana Bafana are back at the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010, and they will open the competition against Mexico in a fixture rich with history.
Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire all bring World Cup experience, while Cape Verde and DR Congo add freshness and renewed energy to the African challenge.
For the continent, the 2026 World Cup is not only about numbers.
It is about whether African teams can turn record representation into record performance.
The expanded tournament offers more places, but it also brings greater expectations.
After years of near misses, dramatic exits and unforgettable moments, Africa arrives in North America with its strongest presence yet.
From Egypt’s first appearance in 1934 to 10 teams in 2026, the journey has been long, difficult and historic.
Now the continent has another opportunity to show that its place at the World Cup is not just growing in size, but also in ambition.
African participation at the FIFA World Cup
1934: Egypt
1970: Morocco
1974: DR Congo
1978: Tunisia
1982: Algeria, Cameroon
1986: Algeria, Morocco
1990: Cameroon, Egypt
1994: Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria
1998: Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia
2002: Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
2006: Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Tunisia
2010: Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa
2014: Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria
2018: Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia
2022: Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia
2026: Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
SOURCE: CAF ONLINE
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