Algeria
Algeria return after a 12-year absence, having last appeared in 2014 when Les Fennecs reached the round of 16. Vladimir Petković, the Bosnian-Swiss coach who succeeded the country's preferred internal candidates in 2024, has rebuilt around Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli), still the creative spine, alongside Ismaël Bennacer (Milan), Houssem Aouar (Al-Ittihad) and Saïd Benrahma (Lyon). Defensively the team relies on Aïssa Mandi and Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund). Algeria won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations but have under-delivered at world level. Group J with Argentina, Austria and Jordan offers a path to second place if they handle Austria correctly. The 2014 round of 16 is the historical floor; matching it would be progress, and a quarter-final would be a generational breakthrough.