Morocco’s World Cup Success Inspired Amine Gouiri to Choose Algeria National Team

The historic and exceptional journey of the Atlas Lions at the 2022 Qatar World Cup influenced Amine Gouiri’s decision to change his sporting nationality. "It’s true that when I saw Morocco at the World Cup, it made me think. I said to myself: why not me with Algeria?". Africa is a continent that is progressing and I think it will improve even more in the years to come. There is ambition and not just for the Africa Cup of Nations but for the World Cup now," he told the French daily L’Équipe. Morocco became the African country to reach the semifinals of a World Cup after beating football giants like Belgium, Spain and Portugal.

The promising Lyon academy striker’s choice to play for Algeria is also motivated by his love for his father’s country. "I thought a lot about it during the summer, with my agents, my friends, my entourage... I weighed the pros and cons and I came to this decision. A lot of things tipped the scales in favor of Algeria. These are my origins, the country of my family... It’s a country I know well since I’ve been going there regularly since I was little. It’s also a team I’ve followed a lot and whose passion for football I’ve always loved. I wanted to represent all of that."

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Amine Gouiri has accumulated 74 caps with the French youth teams, from the under-16s to the Espoirs. He also participated in the 2023 EURO with the under-21s. After joining the Fennecs (A) at the start of the season, the Rennes striker was a starter in Algeria’s last two matches in mid-October.