- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,543
- Reaction score
- 59
Algeria opened its first World Cup in 12 years against Lionel Messi and the defending champions Tuesday night in Kansas City. It put one of Africa's biggest soccer nations back on the world's biggest stage, and sent plenty of American fans to their phones with the same question.
The answer is North Africa. Algeria sits on the Mediterranean coast between Morocco and Tunisia, with the Sahara stretching south. It is the largest country in Africa by land area and home to about 45 million people. The capital is Algiers. Algeria was a French colony for more than a century before winning its independence in 1962, and that history still runs through its soccer.
This is Algeria's fifth World Cup and its first since 2014. That last trip was its best. Algeria reached the round of 16 in Brazil before losing to Germany in extra time. Germany went on to win the whole thing.
The team is nicknamed Les Fennecs, after the big-eared fox that lives in the Sahara. Riyad Mehrez captains the team. The winger won the Premier League with Leicester City and Manchester City and remains the most familiar name on the roster to American fans. Striker Mohamed Amoura, who plays for Wolfsburg in Germany, carried Algeria through qualifying and scored a hat trick against Mozambique.
Algeria starts Luca Zidane, the son of French legend Zinedine Zidane, in goal. The elder Zidane won the 1998 World Cup for France. His son was born near Marseille and played for France at the youth level. Last year, he switched his international allegiance to Algeria, the country his grandparents came from before settling in France.
Algeria has two official languages, Arabic and Tamazight, the Berber tongue spoken across North Africa. Most Algerians use a local dialect of Arabic in daily life. Berber languages are common too, especially in Kabyle in the mountainous region east of Algiers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where is Algeria? Team facing Messi in World Cup match
Continue reading...
Where exactly is Algeria located?
The answer is North Africa. Algeria sits on the Mediterranean coast between Morocco and Tunisia, with the Sahara stretching south. It is the largest country in Africa by land area and home to about 45 million people. The capital is Algiers. Algeria was a French colony for more than a century before winning its independence in 1962, and that history still runs through its soccer.
Has Algeria played in the World Cup before?
This is Algeria's fifth World Cup and its first since 2014. That last trip was its best. Algeria reached the round of 16 in Brazil before losing to Germany in extra time. Germany went on to win the whole thing.
Who plays for Algeria?
The team is nicknamed Les Fennecs, after the big-eared fox that lives in the Sahara. Riyad Mehrez captains the team. The winger won the Premier League with Leicester City and Manchester City and remains the most familiar name on the roster to American fans. Striker Mohamed Amoura, who plays for Wolfsburg in Germany, carried Algeria through qualifying and scored a hat trick against Mozambique.
Why is a Zidane playing for Algeria?
Algeria starts Luca Zidane, the son of French legend Zinedine Zidane, in goal. The elder Zidane won the 1998 World Cup for France. His son was born near Marseille and played for France at the youth level. Last year, he switched his international allegiance to Algeria, the country his grandparents came from before settling in France.
What language do they speak in Algeria?
Algeria has two official languages, Arabic and Tamazight, the Berber tongue spoken across North Africa. Most Algerians use a local dialect of Arabic in daily life. Berber languages are common too, especially in Kabyle in the mountainous region east of Algiers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where is Algeria? Team facing Messi in World Cup match
Continue reading...
