Celebrations in Algiers as Algeria qualifies for World Cup for first time since 2014

VIDEO SHOWS: ALGERIANS CELEBRATING IN STREET,  PEOPLE IN CARS CELEBRATING, SOUNDBITES FROM SOCCER FANS RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)  1. SUPPORTERS AT LA GRANDE POSTE SQUARE SHOUTING: “ONE TWO THREE, LONG LIFE ALGERIA”  2. SUPPORTERS SINGING: “PALESTINE, LAND OF MARTYRS”  3. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 27-YEAR-OLD ALGERIAN FOOTBALL FAN, ISSAM BOUGHABA SAYING:  “We hope that they will continue like this, one two three long life to Algeria, we hope to win and bring the world cup, that’s what we hope as Algerians, as you can see Algerian people are very happy today, we are not afraid of any team participating in the world cup, we are Algerians and we are known and we hope to win both African and world cups.”  4. SUPPORTERS HOLDING FIREWORKS AND SHOUTING: "PALESTINE, PALESTINE”  5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 20-YEAR-OLD ALGERIAN FOOTBALL FAN, TAHA OUSSAMA, SAYING:  “It has been 11 years that we haven’t been qualified to the world cup, in 2018 and in 2022 We didn’t participate and this year we are qualified and ze hope that we will do something good, and why not, the Algerian team wins the world cup and bring it here to make us extremely happy, one two three long life Algeria.”  6. TAHA AND HIS FRIENDS CELEBRATING AND WAVING A BIG ALGERIAN FLAG AND SHOUTING: “ONE TWO THREE, LONG LIFE ALGERIA”  7. SUPPORTERS SHOUTING: “A VISA TO THE UNITED STATES”  8. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS CELEBRATING BY FIREWORKS AND SINGING 9. CARS CELEBRATING / A GIRL IN THE CAR HOLDING A FLAG 10. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CELEBRATING IN THEIR CARS  11. A FAMILY CELEBRATING IN THEIR CAR/ THE FATHER SINGING STORY: Algeria added their name to the list of World Cup qualifiers on Thursday (October 9), the fourth African team to book a berth at next year’s finals in North America, after a comfortable 3-0 win over Somalia. Mohamed Amoura netted twice – taking his goals tally in the qualifying campaign to eight – while captain Riyad Mahrez also scored. Victory for Algeria advanced them to an unassailable 22 points with one match still to play in Group G. It will be their fifth World Cup finals appearance but first since Brazil in 2014. The top team in each of the nine African groups qualifies automatically for the finals in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., and Algeria join the already qualified Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. Amoura handed Algeria a seventh-minute lead when Mahrez’s cross was missed by striker Baghdad Bounedjah but found the Bundesliga-based forward unmarked at the back post to convert. Mahrez then doubled the lead 12 minutes later with Amoura scoring his second, again from a Mahrez cross, in the 57th minute. The fixture was a home game for Somalia, but because they do not have a suitable venue for international matches, it was hosted in Oran, handing Algeria the chance to celebrate qualification in front of a packed house at Stade Miloud Hadefi. (Production: Abdelaziz Boumzar, Thawab Herzallah)

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