Riyad Mahrez and Aissa Mandi will have to wait until November for the official tribute prepared by the Federation algerienne de football (FAF), after the ceremony was moved from the current international window.
The two 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners ended their Algeria careers after the 2026 World Cup, having made 119 and 122 appearances respectively. The FAF had hoped to give both former senior players the chance to say goodbye to supporters in person, rather than simply announcing their international retirements.
That plan remains in place, but the timing has changed. Mahrez and Mandi were initially expected to attend the first squad gathering of the Brahim Hemdani era. The FAF has now decided that their tribute will instead take place during the November international break.
The intention is still to recognise both players in front of Algeria supporters for their achievements in the national-team shirt.
The proposed ceremony had also been publicly supported by Islam Slimani, Algeria’s all-time leading scorer.
“These are two players who have marked the history of Algeria. [...] They are players who deserve a tribute,” Slimani said recently.
Mahrez has already received a show of appreciation from supporters. During Algeria’s 3-1 victory over Zambia at the Hocine-Ait-Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou on Friday, fans celebrated their former captain in the seventh minute, a reference to the number he wore for the national side.
The gesture carried particular significance because the match was Algeria’s first official fixture since the international retirement of Mahrez, one of the leading figures in the country’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations triumph.
The former Manchester City player remains a prominent figure in the thoughts of supporters, despite Algeria beginning a new period under Hemdani.
At 35, Mahrez also faces uncertainty over the next stage of his club career. He has been without a club since leaving Al-Ahli at the start of the summer and has yet to decide on a new destination.
Several possible moves have been discussed in recent weeks, including options in Europe, the Gulf and South America, but none has so far been completed.
Mahrez has continued to train while awaiting his next opportunity. Recent footage shared by his fitness coach, Jamie Elite DXB, showed him in Dubai, where he is following an individual programme to maintain his condition.
He is now due to meet Algeria supporters again in November, when he is expected to be honoured alongside Mandi. The occasion will mark the symbolic close of one of the most significant chapters in the recent history of the Fennecs.