Borussia Dortmund star Ramy Bensebaini has been left out of Algeria's preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by head coach Vladimir Petkovic.
The defender suffered a season-ending foot injury in their 4-0 win over Freiburg on 26 April as Bensebaini missed their next two games and will be unavailable for Saturday's final matchday too.
Now, it seems like his World Cup participation is also doubtful after being dropped from Algeria's preliminary squad for the upcoming showpiece in US, Canada and Mexico.
Petkovic has named 12 defenders in their temporary side but Bensebaini is conspicuous by his absence. The deadline to name the final squad is 1 June.
Should the Dortmund defender recover by then, there's a chance he could be called up. Else, he faces the prospect of missing out on the World Cup.
It would naturally be a big blow for him, but even more so for Algeria, who will be missing one of their best figures in the backline as the Desert Warriors face world champions Argentina, as well as Austria and debutants Jordan in the group stages.
With 81 caps to his name, Bensebaini is one of the most experienced players in the squad. He was instrumental in helping the north African giants qualify for the cup after 12 years, making six appearances from 10 qualifying matches.
Bensebaini also played four times at the last edition of the African Cup of Nations as the Greens reached the quarter-finals and even started both their friendly matches in March this year with Algeria starting their preparations for the World Cup.
Without Bensebaini, Petkovic's side would have their task cut out as they aim to reach the knockout stages from a challenging group. Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac had sounded the alarm a few weeks ago at a press conference:
""Ramy isn't doing well, he's still experiencing pain in his foot. I don't think he'll play against Bremen either. His Bundesliga season is probably over, even if he could return for the World Cup.""said Kovac
That second part of his sentence means the door's still open for his return for next month's showpiece but time's running out. Only 20 days remain until Algeria confirm their final, 26-man squad for the cup.
Having made his international debut for Algeria almost a year after their last appearance at the World Cup, this could have been Bensebaini's first chance of playing at the ultimate tournament. Moreover at 31, he won't get many in future either.
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