The winger is captaining his nation in Cameroon after being selected as part of their 30-man squad for the tournament, which was initially postponed for 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mahrez grabbed three goals and three assists in his four qualifying appearances as Djamel Belmadi’s side topped their group to gain passage to the tournament.
And coming into the competition as defending champions with an astonishing unbeaten run in tow, Mahrez and co. are tipped as one of the pre-tournament favourites.
Find out who the City winger will face, how you can tune in and discover his incredible recent international stats below…
GROUP STAGE MATCHES
Algeria face Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and Côte D’Ivoire in Group E, with each of their initial matches taking place in Douala.
Mahrez and co. ended up drawing 0-0 with a spirited Sierra Leone in their group stage opener. The City winger had a shot tipped past the post by keeper Mohamed Nbalie Kamara but Alegria couldn’t find their way past the Leone Stars.
Next up for Djamel Belmadi’s men is a tie with Equatorial Guinea on Sunday 16 January at 19:00, with UK viewers once again able to tune in on Sky Sports Mix to keep across the action.
And Algeria’s final group match sees them lock horns with the Côte D’Ivoire on Thursday 20 January, with kick-off scheduled for 16:00 and a UK broadcast available on Sky Sports Main Event.
As always, you can find a comprehensive, Mahrez-focused report from each match on mancity.com and the official Man City app throughout the tournament, as well as on Twitter: @ManCity.
To find out how you can tune in to each match, wherever you are in the world, click here.
Tournament Format
Mahrez and co. will guarantee their spot in the Round of 16 if they finish first or second in Group E, while also ranking as one of the best placed teams to finish third would be enough to seal progression.
A first-placed finish would mean Algeria’s first knockout tie would take place on Wednesday 26 January against the runner up in Group D, which contains Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau.
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They would play on the same day should they also finish second, facing the winner of Group F, comprised of Tunisia, Mali, the Gambia and Mauritania.
By finishing third, however, Djamel Belmadi’s men could face the Group A winners on Monday 24 January (one of Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia or Cape Verde) or whoever finishes top of Group D on Sunday 23 January.
The quarter-finals are set for 29/30 January, the last four ties on 2/3 February while the third place play-off and final in Cameroon’s capital city of Yaounde will take place on Sunday 6 February.
Current record
Both Mahrez and his home nation come into the African Cup of Nations with a phenomenal record in tow.
Djamel Belmadi’s side are unbeaten in their last 34 matches, meaning they could break Italy’s 37-game world record if they reach the quarter-finals without defeat.
It’s an astonishing record stretching all the way back to October 2018, with Algeria last beaten by Benin in qualification for the previous AFCON tournament.
Mahrez has featured in 29 of those matches, which also includes their march to the 2019 AFCON title, their first and only triumph since 1990.
During that period, the City winger has amassed an incredible 18 goals and nine assists, meaning he has averaged just under one goal or assist in every international match for over two years.
Best of luck to Riyad at the African Cup of Nations!
