Official: Houssem Aouar Ruled Out of AFCON for Algeria Due to Injury

The Algerian national football team will be without the services of their international midfielder Houssem Aouar for the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations finals, set to kick off in Morocco next Sunday, due to a muscle injury.

The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) clarified in an official statement that medical examinations undergone by Aouar on Thursday evening, following muscle pain experienced during the last training session, confirmed his unsuitability to participate in the continental competition.

Based on the medical report, it was decided on Friday morning to exempt the Jeddah-based player from the national team's preparatory camp, officially ruling him out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

In response, national coach Vladimir Petkovic decided to call up Himad Abdelli, the 26-year-old Angers FC player, to replace Houssem Aouar in the "Greens" squad in preparation for the upcoming continental challenge.

The Algerian national team is placed in Group E of the Africa Cup of Nations, alongside Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Equatorial Guinea, in a tournament where the "Desert Foxes" aim to strongly compete for the title.