馃嚛馃嚳AlgeriaNorth Africa
Algeria qualifies for World Cup round of 16 after 3-3 draw with Austria, to face Switzerland
via Alg茅rie3602 min read
The Algerian national team has qualified for the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup as one of the best third-placed teams after a 3-3 draw against Austria. Algeria will now face Switzerland on July 3 in Vancouver, Canada. This match holds particular significance for Algeria's national coach, Vladimir Petkovic, who previously coached the Swiss national team from 2014 to 2021. The match against Austria saw a physically intense first half, with Austria's Arnautovic opening the scoring in the 28th minute. Algeria equalized just before halftime with a goal from Belghali in the 45th minute. Austria regained the lead in the 55th minute through Salbitzer, but Mahrez leveled the score for Algeria in the 60th minute. The game remained tied until a dramatic injury time, where Mahrez scored Algeria's third goal in the 90+3 minute, only for Kalajdzic to equalize for Austria moments later, ending the match in a 3-3 draw.
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Ahead of the Algeria-Austria match, Vladimir Petkovic's starting lineup has been revealed, featuring four changes from the previous game against Jordan. A notable change is Oussama Benbot starting as goalkeeper instead of Luca Zidane. Jaouen Hadjam will play on the left flank, replacing Rayan Ait-Nouri, while Rafik Belghali retains his position on the right. The central defense remains unchanged with Ramy Bensebaini and Aissa Mandi. The midfield sees Nabil Bentaleb and Houssam Aouar starting, with Ibrahim Maza continuing in his playmaking role. In attack, Riyad Mahrez will be on the right wing, Far猫s Cha茂bi on the left, and Amine Gouiri as the main striker.
Algeria and China are enhancing their strategic energy partnership, with a focus on renewables, green hydrogen, and solar equipment manufacturing. This commitment was reaffirmed during a meeting at the Algerian Ministry of Energy and Renewable Energies. Mourad Adjal, the Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies, hosted Han Wenxiu, vice-director of the Executive Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Rural Work of the People's Republic of China. Minister Adjal highlighted the strong Algeria-China relations in energy, citing Chinese companies' involvement in key projects, including the construction of Algeria's largest photovoltaic power plant in Foulia. He advocated for expanding cooperation to include the transfer of Chinese expertise in carbon footprint reduction, green hydrogen development, and specialized human resource training. Adjal also emphasized the need to accelerate the completion of projects undertaken by Chinese companies in Algeria, such as the combined cycle power plant in T茅bessa and the Birine project in Djelfa. Han Wenxiu expressed China's readiness to intensify cooperation, particularly in solar and wind energy, and showed interest in local manufacturing of photovoltaic panel components. Both parties agreed to foster a "win-win" partnership aligned with their strategic objectives.
Algeria has been identified as one of the countries with the lowest cost of living worldwide, according to the latest Numbeo ranking. With an index of 27.97 out of 155 countries, Algeria is positioned at 135th globally, indicating its affordability. The Numbeo index measures the cost of living by comparing prices for food, housing, transportation, and dining out, using New York City as the reference point with an index of 100. Living in Algeria costs less than one-third of living in New York, placing it alongside nations like Vietnam 26.45, Indonesia 26.08, and Tajikistan 27.88. The Numbeo index is composed of several sub-indices. For Algeria, the cost of living index is 27.97, the rent index is 3.53, the cost of living plus rent index is 17.07, the groceries index is 37.19, the restaurant price index is 16.54, and the local purchasing power index is 36.33. The particularly low rent index of 3.53 is a significant factor, being among the lowest globally. This contrasts sharply with countries like Switzerland 51.45 and France 22.29, and even neighboring Tunisia 5.34 and Morocco 8.33. Only a few countries, such as Pakistan 3.38, Afghanistan 2.34, and Bangladesh 2.59, show similar rent indices. When considering the combined cost of living plus rent, Algeria ranks among the ten cheapest countries globally. While rents are exceptionally low, the groceries index at 37.19 places Algeria in an intermediate range, higher than some countries like Madagascar 23.76 and Pakistan 18.19, but