Speaking to journalists on Thursday, November 5, Hemdani explained that Zidane’s omission was based on sporting considerations, particularly a lack of regular playing time at club level.
“I need to have three goalkeepers who are getting as much playing time as possible,” he said.
The coach instead selected USM Alger’s Oussama Benbot, Melvin Mastil of Swiss side Lausanne-Sport and MC Alger’s Abdelatif Ramdane.
Zidane, 28, has recently missed international duty due to injury and a two-match suspension following clashes during Algeria’s Africa Cup of Nations encounter with Nigeria in January.
The Leganes goalkeeper, son of former France international Zinedine Zidane, switched his international allegiance in September 2025 to represent Algeria, the country of his family’s heritage.
His omission comes alongside that of Manchester City defender Rayan Ait-Nouri, who was sent home in September following a reported disagreement with the coaching staff during a match against Zambia.
However, Hemdani dismissed suggestions of any ongoing issues with Ait-Nouri, insisting that the defender’s absence was also a matter of selection criteria.
“There is no problem. However, anything is possible in the future, and no one has been permanently excluded,” the coach said.
Algeria will take on Togo on November 14 and 17 in their qualifying campaign. The Desert Foxes currently lead Group I with four points from two matches, ahead of Zambia and Burundi.
