The Algerian Men’s National Handball team will face Tunisia this Thursday at 06:00 p.m. in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, held from 21 to 31 January in Kigali, Rwanda, with all eyes fixed on securing a second consecutive finals appearance, after the 2024 edition in Cairo, won by the host country, Egypt.
Algeria’s progression to this stage of the competition was not straightforward. The team started the tournament with a surprising defeat to Nigeria (23-25), which almost cost them their chances of advancing.
However, they bounced back in the following matches, dominating Rwanda (46-25) before convincingly defeating Zambia (37-21).
These results earned them a spot in the main round alongside Nigeria, who received two bonus points, same as the leaders of Group B, the reigning champions of the last three editions, Egypt.
Things were not easy against the Pharaohs, as the teammates of Ayoub Abdi, Algeria’s top scorer in the tournament with 23 goals, fell (28-42). The defeat left them with an obligation to win against Angola by at least three goals to secure a place in the golden four.
The Algerian team, under national coach Salah Bouchekriou, was able to overcome the Angolan hurdle (27-22), thus securing their spot in the semi-finals, where they will face Tunisia, the record holders with 10 continental titles, ahead of Egypt with 9, and Algeria with 7 titles.
The Tunisian team, led by French coach Pablo Morral, scored a sweep in the Group stage and the main round, beating Cameroon (41-22), Guinea (35-25), Kenya (39-21) and Cape Verde (37-25), while drawing against Morocco (29-29).
The last final that brought together Algeria and Tunisia dates back to the 2014 edition, held in Algeria, which saw the Greens triumphed (25-21), avenging their 2012 finals defeat to Tunisia (23-20).
Coach Bouchekriou, relying on his experience both as a player during Algeria’s handball golden era in the 80’s, when he won five continental titles, and as a coach for over two decades, has already achieved his first objective: qualifying for the 2027 World Championship in Germany.
He remains optimistic and confident about the national team’s chances, which has half of its roster from the domestic league, to reach the podium.
The Egyptian team, the clear favorite to claim their tenth continental and fourth consecutive title, will face Cape Verde in the other semi-final, a team that continues to demonstrate steady progress through each edition.
The semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Thursday in Kigali, with Egypt facing Cape Verde at 03:30 p.m. and Algeria taking on Tunisia at 06:00 p.m.
