ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — French soccer great Zinedine Zidane’s son Luca was called up by Algeria for the first time Thursday, with the team close to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Luca Zidane, a 27-year-old goalkeeper, represented France at youth level but never for the senior national team and is eligible for Algeria through his father’s family ties.

FIFA approved a change of national eligibility two weeks ago for Zidane, who once played at Real Madrid when his father was coach there. He is now with Spanish second-division team Granada.

Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic picked Zidane in a 26-player squad for qualifying games against Somalia on Oct. 9 and Uganda five days later.

Algeria leads the qualifying group by four points and a win in either game would send th

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