U18 African Championship 2022 - Team Profile: Algeria

ALGIERS (Algeria) - Like any other team entering the competition, Algeria are looking to leave a mark at the U18 African Championship.

Indeed, Algeria's last appearance at the U18 African Championship goes back to 2018, in Bamako, Mali, where they finished last in the 11-nation event.

But the good thing for Algeria is that their third-place finish in the 2021 U16 African Championship in Cairo may be a moral booster in the build-up to the Antananarivo 2022 showpiece.

The Algerian flag was also displayed in Praia, Cape Verde during the 2019 FIBA Africa U16 Championship, where they finished last in the 10-nation tournament.

With some experience at youth African Championship, it's fair to ask how far can this Algeria go in Antananarivo? What lies ahead for Algeria? Could they be seen as title contenders?

Difficult to say as it seems that the U18 African Championship will see them reacquainted with the African level.

But they will have a good run for their money as they are currently at the U 18 Arab Nations Cup, in Egypt. For their opening game, they overcame Koweit (99-44). They still have to face Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. All in all, competitive games will not be an issue for Algeria. Plus they have had a preparation round with fellow Tunisians ahead of their international outings.

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Team: Algeria
FIBA Ranking: 46^th (World), 7^th (Africa)
Last participation at FIBA U18 African Championship: 2016 (7th place)
Best results at FIBA U18 African Championship: Seventh place (2008, 2016)
How they qualified for the 2022 FIBA U18 African Championship: FIBA Africa Zone 1 teams pulled out the qualifiers
World: Algeria never qualified for the FIBA U18/U19 World Cup
History/Qualification: Algeria's familiarity to the U18 African Championship result from two appearances in the last three editions of the tournament. Algeria missed out the 2020 event in Cairo.

Outlook: Things look tough for Algeria as they set out to finish above the seventh place. But they are known to be tough opponents and are grand adepts of smooth and skilful plays.

Algeria could be, if they want to, their opponents' itch in a very good day. And they can always rely on their former run at the Arab Nations’ Cup to build up confidence and claim a podium finish.

FIBA