Luca Zidane, the 27-year-old goalkeeper and son of French legend Zinedine Zidane, has earned his first call-up to Algeria’s national team for their final two 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Having played for France at youth level, Zidane switched his allegiance to Algeria last month, making him eligible through his paternal grandparents. He currently features for Granada in Spain’s second division.
Algeria sit top of their qualifying group with 19 points and will secure a World Cup spot with a win over Somalia next week, or in their last game against second-placed Uganda. The team has also booked a place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off on December 21 in Morocco.
Zidane came through Real Madrid’s academy in 2004, played for the club’s reserves, and made his senior debut in the final league game of the 2017-18 season. He was also part of the squad when Real lifted their 13th European Cup in 2018 as third-choice goalkeeper.
Though Zinedine Zidane was born in Marseille, the family’s roots trace back to a village in Bejaia, about 250 kilometres east of Algiers.
