Luca Zidane gets first Algeria call-up for World Cup qualifiers

Luca Zidane, the 27-year-old goalkeeper and son of French football great Zinedine Zidane, has been called up for Algeria’s two remaining 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.

Zidane switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria last month, after representing Les Bleus at youth levels. He currently plays for Granada in Spain’s second division.

Since he never made the step up to the French national team, he remained eligible to play for Algeria, the country of his paternal grandparents.

Algeria are leading their World Cup qualifying group with 19 points. They will qualify for the tournament with a win over Somalia next week but could also do so in their final game against second-placed Uganda.

The North Africans have qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, set to begin on December 21 in Morocco.

Zidane also played for Real Madrid’s reserve team after working his way up from the club’s youth academy, which he joined in 2004.

He debuted with the main team in their last league game in the 2017-18 season and was the third-choice goalkeeper when Real won their 13th European title in 2018.

Although Zinedine Zidane was born in Marseille, his family was originally from a small village in Bejaia, some 250 kilometres east of Algiers.