Riyad Mahrez set for last major tournament with Algeria at 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Riyad Mahrez, 35, will contest his final major tournament with Algeria at the 2026 World Cup, from 11 June to 19 July. L'Équipe notes that the captain hopes to close this era on a high.

He has already said with a smile that 2026 will be his last World Cup, not 2030, adding he is not Cristiano Ronaldo. After a final AFCON in Morocco, his international farewell will align with those of Lionel Messi, Luka Modric and Neymar.

The mood was emotional on Sunday at an open session at Nelson-Mandela Stadium in Baraki, on Algiers' outskirts, where his farewell tour began. Mahrez and team-mates circled the pitch to salute supporters.

His 2015-16 season with Leicester brought a Premier League title and the player of the year award. With Algeria he led the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations triumph, and the former Manchester City winger, four times nominated for the Ballon d'Or France Football, could be regarded as the country's best.

The World Cup has been less kind. Algeria missed Qatar after losing to Cameroon in Blida in March 2022, winning 1-0 then losing 1-2 after extra time.

His only finals came in Brazil in 2014, when he started the 1-2 defeat to Belgium then did not feature again as the Fennecs fell 1-2 after extra time to eventual champions Germany in the last 16. Adviser Kamel Bengougam recalls pressing Vahid Halilhodzic and Nordine Kourichi with videos before a positive Reading scouting trip and a bright display against Romania sealed his call-up.

Now on 113 caps, with 38 goals and 37 assists, he seeks a fitting send-off after group-stage exits in 2022 and 2024 under Djamel Belmadi. The Al-Ahli forward salvaged his AFCON in Morocco with a strong first round and guided a new generation. In North America, the handover will be final, and he could open against Messi's Argentina on 17 June.

Source: L'Équipe