A pre-call-up for Yacine Adli, the Al-Shabab FC midfielder, to the Algeria national team is causing controversy according to El Heddaf TV, which places it in coach Brahim Hemdani’s extended pre-list for November 2026. At this stage, the information remains a rumour.
According to revelations from El Heddaf TV published this Wednesday 21 October 2026, coach Brahim Hemdani is said to have included Yacine Adli in his extended pre-list for the November 2026 gathering, Afrik-Foot reports. The leak, unconfirmed at this stage, sparked an immediate outcry among supporters and observers of Algerian football, according to DzBallon.
The 26-year-old now plays in Saudi Arabia, in the colours of Al-Shabab FC. His name remains tied to a departure that had left its mark, and the pre-call-up is for now just a rumour.
The weight of the March 2024 precedent
To grasp the context of the reactions, we need to go back to March 2024. While he was playing for AC Milan, Yacine Adli had sparked the anger of Algerian supporters by stating he wanted to “play at the highest level” with the France national team, according to Afrik-Foot. The same outlet also attributes to him the line “I want France or nothing”.
His career also sheds light on the debate: he represented France at every youth level, from the U16s to the U20s, Afrik-Foot recalls. The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) had also made it known that the file on this dual-national player was closed, according to Football Écologie France.
A mea culpa attempt that went nowhere
In May 2026, Adli had begun a media mea culpa attempt in the hope of catching the 2026 World Cup train at the last minute, without success, according to La Gazette du Fennec.
According to corroborating sources close to the national team, cited by the same outlet, the door remains closed and the player’s entourage is said to be attempting a rehabilitation campaign. On the sporting side, the move is not urgent: Brahim Hemdani already has an abundance of options in the Fennecs’ midfield, Football Écologie France stresses.
The verdict early in November
The calendar will settle it quickly. The publication of the Fennecs’ extended list is expected at the end of October 2026, ahead of the announcement of the final list in early November, for the double header against Togo on 14 and 17 November in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, according to Afrik-Foot. That is when Adli’s situation could be clarified, or not.
The revelation comes from El Heddaf TV, where journalist and media specialist Farid Boussalem works.