Hicham Boudaoui

Analysis: Boudaoui was already known to be joining his team ahead of their second friendly and is now confirmed to be back in training, as the midfielder was shown working with a ball along with his teammates. This should allow him to play in Wednesday's friendly, although likely from a limited place. However, he is set to hopefully start in their opener when facing Argentina on June 16, so a return Wednesday would be a major step in the right direction.

Jun 4, 2026

Joining squad for second friendly

Boudaoui (concussion) did not travel with the Algeria squad to Rotterdam for Wednesday's friendly against the Netherlands as a precautionary measure while continuing his recovery from the head injury suffered at the end of the club season, with his World Cup participation not in doubt, the federation announced, per DZ Foot.

Analysis: Boudaoui's latest medical evaluations have been reassuring and coach Vladimir Petkovic's staff simply chose to avoid any unnecessary risk with the tournament days away, keeping him at the national training center in Sidi Moussa for continued treatment and specific work. The midfielder is expected to join the squad directly in the United States in the coming days and should be available for the second friendly against Bolivia, the final pre-tournament warmup before Algeria's World Cup campaign begins. Boudaoui ended his club season with one goal and two assists across 25 Ligue 1 appearances and remains one of the key figures in manager Petkovic's midfield setup, with the staff hoping to have him at 100 percent for the competition.