In Europe, much of the build-up to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has unfortunately - but inevitably - focused on which clubs will be most affected by the tournament's scheduling slap-bang in the middle of the season. As an incredibly prestigious tournament that rarely fails to deliver a barely-believable amount of drama, the AFCON deserves so much better.
The World Cup 2026 draw has been made, with England set to face Croatia in the group stages, and the USMNT to take on Australia. Brazil have been drawn with Morocco, while France will play Senegal and Argentina must face Austria.
Luca Zidane has received his first-ever Algeria call-up at 27 years old, marking a new chapter in his career. The Granada goalkeeper, son of French legend Zinedine Zidane, switched his international allegiance from France and says he’s “ready to give everything” with the Fennecs already sure of a place at the 2026 World Cup.
"La France, c'est vous." Translated as 'France, is you', that was what French president Charles de Gaulle told footballer Rachid Mekhloufi in 1968. Mekhloufi had just led his Saint-Etienne side to the double, and the reward was an audience with the most powerful man in the country. For Mekhloufi, this sentence brought things full circle. Now he was both Algerian and French; 10 years earlier, he had - in a sense - been neither.
Zinedine Zidane's son Luca has earned his first national team call-up as he has been included in Algeria's squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Luca, born in France, has represented the French national team at youth level, but never broke into the senior team. However, the former Real Madrid goalkeeper has finally got an opportunity to make his international debut.