The Algeria Football Federation seems to be moving away from Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle in its search for a new national team coach. Former Watford assistant Karim Belhocine is now the top candidate to replace Vladimir Petkovic, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
This news comes just days after reports linked Chelle to the job following Algeria’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But Chelle has not shown interest in the position.
Petkovic is still officially in charge of Algeria. But the pressure is mounting after the Desert Foxes were knocked out of the World Cup by Switzerland.
The Algerian Football Federation plans to discuss his future in a federal bureau meeting. Yet, preparations for a possible coaching change are already in motion, according to AfricaFoot.
Belhocine, 48, has become the favorite after impressing federation officials with his coaching background in Belgium and his understanding of Algerian football.
The French-Algerian coach recently took on the head coach role at Algerian Ligue 1 club JS Kabylie, starting on July 4. He built his reputation while working at Anderlecht, where he was an assistant coach and caretaker manager several times. He also managed Charleroi and KV Kortrijk in the Belgian Pro League before joining Watford as an assistant.
Algerian newspaper El Khabar reports that the federation sees Belhocine’s UEFA Pro Licence, tactical skills, and knowledge of both European and Algerian football as strong points in his favor.
Earlier, Chelle’s name came up for the Algeria job after reports said the federation reached out to the Franco-Malian coach. This happened due to frustration with Petkovic’s tactics in the loss to Switzerland. Chelle’s agent, Jibril Oualane, was reportedly seen in Algeria for initial discussions. Chelle’s growing reputation in Africa, after taking Mali to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and leading the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2025 AFCON, made him attractive to Algerian fans.
But Chelle is still under contract with the Nigeria Football Federation. They are reportedly working on a long-term extension that would keep him in charge of the Super Eagles until 2030. This new deal is expected to double his monthly salary from $50,000 to $100,000, and it will also give him more control over Nigeria’s national team structure, including the Under-23 Olympic team.
Chelle was appointed in January 2025 but could not take the Super Eagles to the 2026 World Cup, despite showing good results in his first 18 months as coach.
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