The enormous impact that Algeria made on the 1982 World Cup was all the more remarkable considering the country had only officially established a national team two decades earlier upon independence from France.

When the north Africans turned up in Spain, most of the rest of the world wasn't aware of their recent advances that included a first appearance in an African Nations Cup Final two years earlier. While a team that included talents such as Lakhdar Belloumi and Rabah Madjer was never going to be easy opponents, the 2-1 group stage win over mighty West Germany was still a huge shock for the world game.

Unfortunately, the competition format and the poor sportsmanship of West Germany and Austria prevented further progress in the tournament for Algeria. 1982 would still go down in history, however, as their first - and best - World Cup.