The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has appointed Gabonese referee Pierre Ghislain Atcho to officiate the upcoming Algeria-Guinea match, scheduled for June 6 at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Baraki. This match is part of the third round of Group G in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Atcho will be assisted by Elvis Guy Nguegoue from Cameroon, Liban Abdulrazak Ahmed from Djibouti, and Antoine Max Depado Essoh from Cameroon, who will serve as the fourth official.
For the second match against Uganda on June 10 at the Mandela National Stadium in Namboole (Kampala), a Beninese refereeing team led by Adissa Abdourafiou Ligali has been appointed. He will be assisted by Gbemasian Narsis Cotton and Lucian Todignon Hontono, with Wodijinan Shi Tanislas Ahomlanton as the fourth official.
These matches mark the first official outings for Algeria’s new head coach, Bosnian Vladimir Petković, who began coaching the national team in March during the international friendly tournament “FIFA Series-2024” against Bolivia (3-2 win) and South Africa (3-3 draw).
In the first two rounds of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers held last November, Algeria had a strong start, winning at home against Somalia (3-1) and away against Mozambique (2-0).
The “Fennecs” currently lead Group G with 6 points, three points ahead of Botswana, Guinea, Uganda, and Mozambique, each with 3 points. Somalia is at the bottom of the standings with no points.
After the ten rounds of qualifiers, the group leader will qualify directly for the World Cup 2026 finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The best four runners-up across all groups will compete in play-off matches.
