Algeria national team coach Brahim Hemdani left goalkeeper Luca Zidane out of his squad for the November Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, La Gazette du Fennec reported.

The 28-year-old shot-stopper, who earned 10 caps and started for the Fennecs at the 2026 World Cup under Vladimir Petkovic, missed selection entirely even after a late withdrawal opened a spot in the final roster.

Hemdani Defends Selection Based on Playing Time

Hemdani defended his selection during a Thursday press conference, pointing directly to a lack of regular minutes at CD Leganés. I made my choice on a sporting criterion, Hemdani explained to reporters.

In that position, which is really specific, I needed to be able to choose among three goalkeepers having the maximum playing time. The three selected goalkeepers are those who have had the most playing time since the last gathering. That is the only reason why I decided in their favor.

Football.fr reported that Hemdani selected Oussama Benbot, Melvin Mastil, and Abdelatif Ramdane for the November fixtures against Togo scheduled for November 14 and November 17. According to football.fr, Mastil logged 270 minutes for Lausanne-Sport following the October 6 friendly against Niger, while Benbot and Ramdane each played 360 minutes for USM Alger and MC Alger respectively.

Club Struggles in Madrid

Luca Zidane’s club situation shifted dramatically following the October 18 appointment of Luis Carrion as Leganés manager, according to football.fr reporting. Carrion installed Raul Fernandez as his primary choice in goal, leaving Zidane on the bench for recent fixtures against Mallorca and Valladolid as cited by AS.

La Gazette du Fennec noted that Zidane dropped to the bench for two matches just as Hemdani finalized his squad. Although he previously strung together nine league starts, Zidane conceded 17 goals across 10 appearances with only three clean sheets this campaign. He also served a two-match suspension levied by the Confederation of African Football, which ruled him out of the previous international window.

Clearing Up Extra-Sporting Rumors

Unfounded speculation circulated in recent weeks suggesting Zidane suffered exclusion due to comments made by his father, Zinedine Zidane, regarding a detained French journalist in Algeria. La Gazette du Fennec confirmed through a source close to the dossier that these rumors hold no truth, labeling the omission a purely technical decision.

Rather than sitting on the bench during international travel, Zidane stayed in Madrid to contest domestic fixtures. He was an unused substitute in a 1-0 Copa del Rey victory over Trival Valderas, and prepares for a 14th-round Liga B match against Burgos CF.

The Race Toward AFCON 2027

With the delayed qualification campaign moving quickly, time is running out for the experienced keeper to reclaim his international status. La Gazette du Fennec highlighted that only a single international window in March remains before the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals, scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17.