Djamel Belmadi, coach of the Algerian national team, rejected the idea that his country would be a candidate to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to be held in Côte d'Ivoire.
The “Desert Warriors” were in one group with Burkina Faso, Angola and Mauritania, and despite the enormous potential enjoyed by Algeria, Belmadi believes other teams are more likely to win the title.
The Algerian coach said in media statements, “We did not qualify for the World Cup, and we were excluded from the first round of the African Cup (2021), and therefore we are not candidates to win the 2023 tournament.”
He also added, "The candidates to win the African Cup are mostly the same, which are Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, and the Côte d'Ivoire national team will be a big candidate because it will host the tournament on its home soil."
Algeria's list includes many distinguished names, led by Riyad Mahrez, who announced his desire to achieve his second title after winning the 2019 title in Egypt.
The Algerian national team began its preparations for the African Nations since December 20, in what Belmadi considered learning from the lessons of the past, after not preparing well for the 2021 edition, which led to its disappointing farewell from the group stage.
It is noteworthy that the Algerian national team will play two friendly matches against Togo and Burundi in the camp scheduled to be held in Togo from January 1 to 10 next.
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