The page of the Swiss coach, Vladimir Petkovic, at the head of the technical crossbar of the Algerian national football team, was closed, after the Algerian Federation (“FAF”) and the Swiss technical team reached a final agreement stipulating “divorce by mutual consent” and terminating the contract that bound the two parties until the end of July 2028.
Published on: 03/08/2026 - 23:10 Last updated: 03/08/2026 - 23:23
Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic's career with the Algerian national football team ended after the Algerian Football Federation announced on Monday its separation by mutual consent from coach Vladimir Petkovic, despite extending his contract before the World Cup in June.
The repercussions of this decision did not stop at the head of the technical pyramid only, but rather extended to include all members of the active coaching staff alongside Petkovic.
The end of the Petkovic era
The local federation said in a statement, “The Algerian Football Federation is aware of the official end of the contractual relationship that linked it to the national voter, Mr. Vladimir Petkovic, and his technical staff, today, based on a mutual agreement between the two parties.”
Algeria started the World Cup with a 3-0 loss to Argentina, before a 2-1 win over Jordan and a 3-3 draw with Austria in Group Ten to qualify for the knockout stage among the eight best third-placed teams, but they lost 2-0 to Switzerland.
Algeria had exited the 2025 African Cup of Nations in the quarter-finals after losing to Nigeria.
Petkovic, who previously coached the Swiss national team in addition to having experiences with Italian Lazio and French Bordeaux, led the Algerian national team in 33 matches, winning 23 times, losing five times and drawing the same.
After negotiations between “FAF” and the lawyers of coach Vladimir Petkovic, it was agreed to terminate the contract between him and “FAF”, which extends until the end of July 2028, with Petkovic receiving compensation of three monthly salaries, which is the same compensation that each of the three assistants whose contracts were extended for two years will receive, before moving to the World Cup, like the first coach.
Thus, the Petkovic era has ended with the Greens team, which was the subject of much and harsh criticism from the Algerians due to its mediocre performance during the 2026 World Cup in the United States and the African Cup in Morocco.
Attention is turning to the name of the new coach who will be appointed in order to continue the work and prepare for the upcoming competitions.
Algeria is preparing to participate in the 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin next September, as it competes with Zambia, Togo, and Burundi in Group Nine.
France 24/Reuters
Keywords related to the article
The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.
