Algeria: How FIFA Ignores Belmadi's Streak!

Oct 4, 2026

Frequently, when a list of the longest unbeaten runs in football is published, Algeria's streak (35 matches from 2018 to 2022) is often overlooked...

Last week, it was FIFA that once again neglected the impressive performance of the team led by Djamel Belmadi, which should be among the top four in the world, but the calculations from the Zurich organization are biased...

Indeed, in an article published on October 29, 2026, on its website, the international federation presented a list of 10 unbeaten runs by seven different nations, accumulating between 40 and 31 matches without defeat.

Among these teams, Morocco and Senegal are mentioned three times for runs of over 30 matches while in reality their senior teams did not exceed 20 matches without defeat during those periods.

Our national team is absent. Yet, under Djamel Belmadi's leadership, Algeria indeed recorded a streak of 35 matches without defeat, spanning from November 18, 2018 (4-1 victory against Togo) to January 16, 2022 (1-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea).

FIFA considers A' matches...

However, FIFA includes all senior matches, without distinction between A and A'. During Djamel Belmadi's streak, a match led by Ludovic Batelli against Morocco ended in a 3-0 defeat. This was a match played in Berkane, as part of the qualifiers for the 2020 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in Cameroon.

Where the calculations become illogical is when examining the 33 and 31 match winning streaks that FIFA attributes to Morocco during the periods 2025-2026 and 2019-2022, under the management of Ouahbi, Reguragui, and Halilhodzic.

In reality, during the first period, there are only 20 matches managed by the Bosnian, while the 11 other matches are from the A' team of Hussein Ammouta (CHAN and Arab Cup). Similarly, for the last period, only 22 matches concern the A team, the rest involving again the A' team led this time by Sektioui...

The same goes for Senegal, whose streak of 33 matches without defeat between 2023 and 2025 also includes 10 matches from the A' team of Pape Thiaw (before his appointment to the A team) and Soulyemane Diallo. Yet, FIFA highlights Aliou Cissé in its article...

In reality, if the ranking were fair, not only the Algeria A team is the only one in Africa that can compete with European and South American teams, but above all the 35-match streak should be entirely credited to Djamel Belmadi and not to several successive coaches.

The Algerian coach, fourth in the FIFA Best award in 2019, is in line with Luis de la Fuente (40 matches), Roberto Mancini (37 matches), and Lionel Scaloni (36 matches).

DZfoot