Vladimir Petković

Vladimir Petković is the head coach of Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, leading Les Fennecs back to the World Cup after a 12-year absence following his appointment in August 2024. Born in Sarajevo on 15 August 1963, he is a naturalised Swiss who built his coaching career across Switzerland, Italy and France before taking over an Algerian side desperate for tactical structure.

A modest midfielder during his playing days in Yugoslavia and Switzerland, Petković's coaching reputation was built methodically at Swiss clubs — Bellinzona, Lugano, Young Boys and Sion — before a brief Samsunspor stint led to his breakthrough at Lazio, where he won the 2013 Coppa Italia beating Roma in the final. In July 2014 he replaced Ottmar Hitzfeld at the helm of Switzerland and stayed for seven years, taking the Nati to two World Cup R16s and a famous Euro 2020 quarter-final where they eliminated France on penalties after a 3-3 thriller in Bucharest.

A difficult relegation season at Bordeaux (2021–22) preceded a sabbatical. Algeria's federation hired him in August 2024 to replace Djamel Belmadi and end the country's qualifying frustrations.

Algeria are in Group J with Austria, Morocco and Jordan, opening on 14 June. Petković's brief: weld a generation around Riyad Mahrez, Houssem Aouar and Ismaël Bennacer into a side capable of breaking Algeria's traumatic group-stage exits of 2010 and 2014 and finally repeating the heroic R16 run of Brazil 2014.