The Algeria national football team is nicknamed Les Fennecs (The Desert Foxes). It made two consecutive World Cups in2 1982 and 1986 and lifted the African Nations Cup in 1990 as the host country. In November 2009, they beat fierce rivals Egypt in a playoff to secure a place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. This Algeria is a real surprise. It was only three/four years ago that Algeria was crossing the desert, be it on clubs or squads. It seems an endless torment. And suddenly, the Fennecs even qualified for the World Cup, leaving the Pharaohs behind, who were playing in the recent years under the statute of ?Africa?s most capable of?. The statistic that best sums up Algeria's disappointing current standing on the international stage is their 21-year absence from a FIFA World Cup? final, with 1986 marking their last appearance. That is considered far too long for a nation with such vast potential - after all, 70 per cent of the country's 33 million inhabitants are under the age of 30. After two editions absent of a final of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the Algerians are back to action. The Desert Foxes were neither in Egypt 2006 and Ghana 2008. Thus, a squad that manages to rebuild after such events might have only worked hard. And its goal in the Cup of Nations is clear: the title.