KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Vladimir Petkovic has signed a contract extension that will keep him as coach of the Algerian national team until July 2028, the country’s soccer federation announced just before departing for the United States on Sunday and the start of the World Cup.
The extension comes four days after the Desert Foxes defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in a friendly in Rotterdam, and ahead of the final World Cup match-up against Bolivia on Wednesday night.
Algeria will play their World Cup opener against defending champion Argentina on June 16th at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Petkovic, 62, who is originally from Bosnia but has lived in Switzerland for many years, was a long-time Swiss manager before briefly managing France’s Bordeaux club. Petkovic was hired by Algeria in February 2024 after missing out on two World Cups and quickly built the Desert Foxes into one of Africa’s top teams.
Members of Algeria’s technical staff, including assistant coach Davide Morandi, goalkeeping coach Guido Nanni and head trainer Paolo Longoni, have also extended their contracts until July 2028.
Algeria was scheduled to practice on Sunday at the Sidi Moussa National Technical Center near Algiers before leaving for Kansas City later that day. The team will be based at the University of Kansas near Lawrence during the World Cup.
The first practice at the school’s Rock Chalk Park soccer facility is scheduled for Monday.
After their World Cup opener against Argentina, the Desert Foxes will face Jordan on June 22nd in Santa Clara, California. The group’s final game will be against Austria on June 27 at Arrowhead Stadium, about an hour’s drive from Lawrence’s training base.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
