Mehdi Emile Dorval of Algeria during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Equatorial Guinea and Algeria at Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on 31 December 2025 ©Weam Mostafa/BackpagePix
Monday Jan 05, 2026. 11:00
Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are set for a colossal Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 clash at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Tuesday.
Kick-off is at 6pm CAT.
Algeria finished atop group E with a perfect record, claiming three victories and nine points for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2019.
The Fennecs defeated Sudan 3-0 before snatching a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso and finishing their group stage with a 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea.
They will be making their second appearance in the round of 16 after missing out in the last two editions.
DR Congo finished second in group D behind Senegal, being behind on goal difference despite also collecting seven points from two wins and one draw. This is the second consecutive edition the nation has gone undefeated in the group stage.
The Leopards opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over Benin before drawing 1-1 with Senegal and beating Botswana 3-0 in their final group game.
Having qualified for the knockout stage for a fifth consecutive edition, they will be looking to go a step further than the last edition, which saw them knocked-out in the semi-finals.
The two sides have met on seven previous occasions with The Fennecs remaining undefeated, registering three wins and four draws against the Leopards. Two of those meetings have come at AFCON, with a goalless draw in the group stage in 2000 and a 1-0 win for Algeria in 1998.