After Mahrez... Algeria's most-capped player announces the end of his international career

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The decision came after participation in the 2026 World Cup.

Algerian defender Aïssa Mandi has retired from international football, drawing a line under more than a decade in the Algeria shirt. He spent recent years as one of the team's most prominent pillars.

The 34-year-old announced his decision in a video posted to his official Instagram account, calling it a great honour to have represented Algeria and saying the time had come to bring the curtain down on his international journey.

Mandi said: "Playing for the Algeria national team was an exceptional and wonderful thing, and it gave me unforgettable feelings. But I feel that the right moment has come to say goodbye, having given everything I can for my country."

The Algerian Football Federation thanked Mandi for his time with the national team, celebrating his record as "the player with the most appearances in the Algeria shirt".

His retirement follows his appearance with Algeria at the 2026 World Cup. He becomes the second player to end his international career with the team after captain Riyad Mahrez.

Mandi launched his international career on 5 March 2014, playing his first Algeria match against Slovenia in a game that finished 2-0 to the North Africans.

Across that career, he made 122 international appearances and scored 8 goals, more caps than any player in the history of the Algerian national team.

Winning the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt remains his most notable achievement with Algeria. He was one of the key figures in Djamel Belmadi's squad that brought the continental cup back to Algeria after a long absence.