West Ham United duo Mohammed Kudus and Saïd Benrahma have both been included in their country’s squads for CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers being played this week.
Kudus is in the Ghana squad for a vital Group E qualifier against Central African Republic, while Benrahma is in the Algeria squad for a Group F tie with Tanzania.
Midfielder Kudus, who made his debut in Friday’s 2-1 Premier League win at Luton Town, has been called-up by Black Stars head coach and former West Ham United player Chris Hughton.
Ghana will host Central African Republic at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Thursday 7 September, and know victory will secure them top spot in Group E and qualification for the final tournament in Ivory Coast in January-February 2024.
Unbeaten Ghana go into the final round of qualifiers top of their group, but a defeat, combined with victory for Angola over Madagascar, would see them drop to third and miss out on qualification for the Cup of Nations for the first time since 2004.
“We have one more game, and it’s an important game because we want to go to AFCON and make our mark,” he told whufc.com.
The No14 has been a central figure in the West African nation’s qualifying campaign, scoring in a 3-0 home win over Madagascar and 1-1 draw in Central African Republic.
The 23-year-old, who joined the Hammers from Ajax in August, has become a vital member of Ghana’s squad in recent years, and has seven goals in 24 appearances for his country.
Benrahma, meanwhile, is in the Algeria squad for a home Group F tie with Tanzania in Annaba on Thursday evening.
The Fennec Foxes have already secured their place at the finals by winning all five of their qualifiers to date, and will hope to complete a perfect campaign at the 19 May 1956 Stadium.
After completing their AFCON qualifying campaign, Algeria will then travel to Dakar to take on Senegal in a friendly international on Tuesday 12 September.
Benhrama returned to the Algeria squad for their two most-recent matches played in June, appearing as a substitute in a 2-1 Group F win in Uganda before starting a 1-1 friendly draw with North African neighbours Tunisia.
Nayef Aguerd has also been called-up by Morocco, who have also already qualified for AFCON. They face Liberia in their final Group K qualifier and Burkina Faso in a friendly international.
