In their four appearances at the Olympic Games, Algeria have always finished in double digits, with a 10th place in 1980, 1988 and in 1996 and on the 12th place in 1984. However, the African side has never made it to the final competition since Atlanta 1996, making it 28 years removed since their last appearance.

Over the last years, Algeria did not impress at the IHF Men’s World Championship, as they failed to qualify at France 2017 and Denmark/Germany 2019, while their comeback at Egypt 2021 saw the African side end up on the 22nd place, making it to the main round.

Two years later, though, at Poland/Sweden 2023, Algeria recorded their worst-ever finish in the competition, the 31st place, with only one win, a narrow 34:33 win over Uruguay in the Placement Match 31/32. That prompted a coaching change and a new wave came sweeping the Algeria team, which bounced back admirably at the 2024 CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship.

The silver medal secured at the end of the competition brought Algeria’s best result since winning the continental title in 2014, on their home court, as wins over Morocco, Libya and Gabon helped them clinch a quarter-finals berth. Two big wins, 36:23 against DR Congo in the quarter-finals and 32:26 against Cape Verde in the semi-finals guaranteed Algeria a medal.

Despite their 21:29 loss against Egypt in the final, Algeria secured a place in the Olympic Qualification Tournament, as Africa had two places reserved, as the second-best continent at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, but the African team will have a mountain to climb in a fiery Olympic Qualification Tournament #2 in Hanover.

The African side needs some perfect matches against Germany, Croatia and Austria, three European teams with a bigger experience, three teams which are tested in a competitive environment over the last years.

Moreover, Algeria lost the last 16 matches played against European opponents at the IHF Men’s World Championship, with their last win coming at Sweden 2011, 15:14, against Romania. Yet the African side can still provide a tough challenge, more so because of the experience gained by several players in European competitions, especially through Ayyoub Abdi, who signed for French powerhouse HBC Nantes from the summer of 2024.

Key players: Ayyoub Abdi (right back), Messaoud Berkous (left back), Moustapha Hadj Sadok (centre back)
History at the Olympic Games: 1980: 10th, 1984: 12th, 1988: 10th, 1996: 10th 
Olympic Qualification Tournament #2 (in Hanover, Germany): Germany, Croatia, Algeria, Austria