Riyad Mahrez — Algeria World Cup 2026 Squad

Career Highlights

Riyad Mahrez scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists in Leicester City 5,000-1 Premier League title win in 2015-16 — the most statistically dominant season by any winger in a title-winning campaign this century. He was named PFA Players Player of the Year and African Footballer of the Year in 2016. At Manchester City he won five Premier League titles, scored the decisive penalty in the 2023 Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid, and was part of the 2022-23 treble squad. He has 37 goals in 98 Algeria caps, making him their fourth-highest scorer. His left foot has produced 85 Premier League goals and 55 assists across 268 appearances.

Club Career

Mahrez grew up in Sarcelles outside Paris and began at AAS Sarcelles before moving to Quimper and then Le Havre in the French fourth tier. Leicester signed him for €500,000 in 2014 and he was instrumental in their promotion before the title miracle. He scored a direct free-kick against Porto in the 2016-17 Champions League group stage — Leicester first-ever goal in the competition. Manchester City paid €68 million in 2018. Under Pep Guardiola he gradually increased his output, scoring 15 league goals in 2022-23. He moved to Al-Ahli in 2023, scoring 23 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions in his first Saudi season, proving his quality persisted outside European football.

International Career & World Cup History

Mahrez debuted for Algeria against Ghana in 2014 and was part of the squad that won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring a direct free-kick in the semi-final against Nigeria in the last minute. Algeria have qualified for two of the last three World Cups but were eliminated in the group stage both times. Mahrez scored from the penalty spot against Belgium in 2014 but Algeria lost 2-1. He was left out of the 2022 World Cup squad by coach Djamel Belmadi in a decision that caused controversy, though he was recalled for qualifying. His 37 goals include 7 in World Cup qualifiers across two cycles.

World Cup 2026 Outlook

Mahrez at 35 faces questions about whether the Saudi league has maintained his conditioning for tournament football against top-level opponents. His technical ability — the close control, the left-foot curling finishes, the set-piece quality — does not depreciate with age. The question is whether he can still beat defenders one-on-one over 10 metres as he did at City. Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic will build attacks around Mahrez receiving the ball on the left half-space, which is exactly where he has operated his entire career. If Algeria are to survive the group for the first time since 2014, Mahrez needs to produce at least one moment of individual brilliance per match. His partnership with Ismael Bennacer in midfield and Baghdad Bounedjah up front gives Algeria a genuine attacking trident.