Algiers: The President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Minister of National Defence, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, chaired the ceremony for the 53rd edition of the Algerian Military Football Cup final on Wednesday at the Military Sports Teams Training and Preparation Center in Ben Aknoun (Algiers), according to a statement from the Ministry of National Defence (MDN).
According to Algeria Press Service, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Minister of National Defence, chaired the final ceremony of the 53rd edition of the Algerian Military Football Cup on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at the Military Sports Teams Training and Preparation Center in Ben Aknoun in the 1st Military Region, where he was received by Army General Said Chanegriha, Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army (PNA).
At the start and after the welcoming ceremony, the President of the Republic listened to the national anthem and received the honors presented to him by various formations of the PNA Forces, before saluting the welcoming delegation, namely the Secretary General of the Ministry of National Defence, the Commander of the Republican Guard, the Force Commanders, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of National Defence, the Acting Commander of the National Gendarmerie, the Commander of the 1st Military Region, the Head of the Employment-Preparation Department of the PNA General Staff, and the Head of the Military Sports Service, the statement added.
The President of the Republic then “went to the official stand at the Centre stadium, where he kicked off the final between the teams of the Republican Guard Command and the ministry’s Directorate of Administration and Joint Services, in the presence of members of the Government, advisers to the Presidency of the Republic, as well as the Directors and Heads of the central services of the Ministry of National Defence and the PNA General Staff.”
The first half of the match saw equal opportunities for both teams, which took turns controlling the game without converting their chances into goals, before the referee blew the whistle to end the half with a score of 0-0.
During the second half, the pace of the match intensified significantly, with both teams determined to win. There were numerous attacks on both sides, but neither team managed to break the deadlock.
The match ended in a goalless draw, forcing the two teams into a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
The Republican Guard team won the shootout 5-3, claiming the Algerian Military Football Cup, according to the statement.
At the end of the match, the President of the Republic presented medals to both teams and the Algerian Military Cup to the Republican Guard team.
On the sidelines of the final, the President of the Republic “honored a group of athletes and military sports teams that excelled during the season in various disciplines at the national and international levels with very positive results reflecting the great abilities and high professional level achieved by the military sports teams,” said the source.
At the end of the ceremony, the President of the Republic “took a souvenir photo with the honored athletes before signing the guest book of the Sports Teams Training and Preparation Center,” the statement concluded.