Salaries: 6 teams in Ligue 1 Mobilis exceed the threshold set by the FAF, with CR Belouizdad in first place.

A cap of 50 billion centimes, but not a prohibition

The FAF launched the reform at the end of 2024. In a statement released on December 31, 2024, it announced a rationalization of expenses subject to oversight by its management department, a new standard contract for professional players starting in June 2025, and an ethical charter for all stakeholders in professional football.

The system implemented since the 2025-2026 season is based on two levels:

• An individual cap: 2.5 million dinars per month for the fixed part of a player's salary.
• A collective threshold: an annual wage bill of 500 million dinars, or 50 billion centimes, per club.

In a note dated July 27, 2025, the FAF specified the obligations of clubs exceeding this threshold: they must provide a bank guarantee of 50 million dinars and a written commitment from their owning company or its partners.

The text also leaves a loophole open: a club can exceed the cap if it demonstrates that additional salaries will be paid from sources other than public enterprise funds. The FAF's communication officer, Said Fellak, explained in July 2026 that the cap is a threshold to be respected, not a prohibition. He added that "all Algerian clubs are bankrupt."

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Last season, six clubs already over the threshold

The issue is not new. As early as November 2025, the monthly report from the Federal Bureau indicated that six clubs exceeded the 50 billion centimes annual wage bill: MC Alger, JS Kabylie, USM Alger, CR Belouizdad, MC Oran, and CS Constantine. The FAF acknowledged at that time that the majority of clubs complied with the system, and the DNCG summoned the six clubs involved to justify their overspending.

In January 2026, following a control procedure initiated by the DNCG of the FAF, six clubs were sanctioned for exceeding the cap: MC Alger, USM Alger, JS Kabylie, CR Belouizdad, CS Constantine, and MC Oran. Each received a fine of 10 million dinars and had to deposit a bond of 40 million dinars with the LFP. This bond, separate from the guarantee required by the July 2025 note, serves to cover potential disputes at the end of the season and is returned to the clubs if no issues are recorded.

The threat of a recruitment ban did not materialize: the sanctioned clubs were able to recruit during the winter transfer window after paying the fine and depositing the bond.

The situation has not changed, however. According to estimates from sports media for the 2026-2027 season, MC Alger would reach 130 billion centimes in wage bill, while MC Oran and CS Constantine would each hit 110 billion. These six clubs would accumulate around 910 billion centimes, up to four times the cap set by the FAF.

Public money at the heart of the debate

The issue transcends the sporting framework, as all six clubs involved belong to public companies. Madar Holding owns CR Belouizdad, the Serport group owns USM Alger, Mobilis owns JS Kabylie, Sonatrach owns MC Alger, and two of its subsidiaries, Hyproc and ENTP, own MC Oran and CS Constantine, respectively, as we noted in our article on the exorbitant salaries in Ligue 1.

Authorities had expressed their desire to curb this trend. In February 2025, Walid Sadi, Minister of Sports and President of the FAF, announced, in response to a deputy, the end of excessive salaries starting from the 2025-2026 season.

Data presented during a FAF workshop in June 2025 already showed the scale of the phenomenon: the sixteen Ligue 1 clubs paid nearly 70 million dollars in salaries to their players in 2024-2025, compared to 42 million the previous season, marking a 64% increase in one year.

These high salaries do not always guarantee results, as illustrated by the disappointing performances of several highly-paid strikers during the 2024-2025 season. The management of clubs funded by public funds is also under judicial scrutiny, as seen in the case involving the former president of JSK.

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What future for the cap in 2026-2027?

The Federal Bureau, meeting on July 11, 2026, outlined the roadmap for the new season. Ligue 1 clubs were to obtain their licenses on an open platform from July 9 to 16, a prerequisite for participating in competitions. The federation also confirmed the recruitment ban affecting 27 clubs, including seven from Ligue 1, for unpaid salaries to players and coaches.

Among them are four of the six clubs sanctioned in January for exceeding the wage cap: CR Belouizdad, USM Alger, JS Kabylie, and CS Constantine.

However, the authorities have not publicly clarified the fate of the 50 billion centimes cap for this season, nor the checks that the DNCG plans to conduct on clubs that exceed it.

As long as clubs do not publish their accounts and the DNCG does not release its findings, the figures circulating remain estimates. Therefore, they should be viewed with caution, pending official figures from the FAF, LFP, or the owning companies.

One thing is certain: the gap between the stated cap and the amounts mentioned reignites the debate over the real impact of the FAF's financial reforms and the ability of Algerian professional football to control expenditures largely funded by public money.

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