{"id":3769,"date":"2026-01-08T04:08:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T04:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon"},"modified":"2026-01-08T05:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T05:39:10","slug":"riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon","title":{"rendered":"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n

Halimah Mahrez, mother of Algerian captain Riyad Mahrez, has captured media attention at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Her charming personality and supportive presence have made her a beloved figure among fans, often overshadowing her son’s achievements on the field. Halimah’s involvement has turned her into a symbol of hope and unity for the Algerian team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Africa. <\/strong> <\/span>Halimah, the mother of Riyad Mahrez, captain of the Algerian national team, has attracted media attention at the Africa Cup of Nations currently taking place in Morocco, much like her son.<\/p>\n

Her kind messages and charismatic personality have made her a lucky charm for Algerian fans during the continental competitions held in Morocco.<\/p>\n

Since the tournament began, Halimah Mahrez has attended all of Algeria’s matches, becoming a focal point of media interest. While her son Riyad shines with the national team, Halimah often steals the spotlight in the eyes of the fans.<\/p>\n

Halimah has transformed into a prominent figure within the team coached by Vladimir Petkovic.<\/p>\n

Upon her arrival at the stadium with her daughter, Halimah Mahrez sparked genuine excitement among fans at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, where the Algerian team has played all its matches so far.<\/p>\n

Halimah found herself at the heart of moments of overwhelming public joy, which sometimes escalated to minor scuffles. During one of the group stage matches in the current Africa Cup, the “RMC” news network struggled to pose a question to her in French despite the presence of about twenty microphones and the large crowd surrounding her.<\/p>\n

While her son has become accustomed to this type of media coverage over several seasons, it seems that the matriarch of the Mahrez family is unfazed by it, embracing her new responsibilities with calmness and reassurance.<\/p>\n

More than just a lucky charm or a fan symbol, Halimah Mahrez is truly the symbolic mother of the Algerian national team, as her son is indeed viewed as the “big brother.”<\/p>\n

In addition to her public appearances, Riyad’s mother frequently shares on social media, with kindness being a common theme in all her public statements. She avoids conflicts or controversies.<\/p>\n

On the sidelines of the matches, Mahrez is also asked about his mother, and after the match against Sudan, where Mahrez scored, the Algerian player said, “Thank God, it’s a blessing” or “My mother’s prayers always make a difference.” This suggests that his mother represents a source of blessing and luck for him and the national team.<\/p>\n

What is even more remarkable is that even if the spirit of competition arises when the Algerian team meets the Moroccan team in the semifinals, Halimah Mahrez serves as a bridge between Morocco and Algeria during the 2025 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations held in her home country.<\/p>\n

The Africa Cup of Nations is a prestigious football tournament held every two years, showcasing the best teams from across the continent. This year’s edition in Morocco has seen heightened excitement, with fans rallying behind their national teams. The tournament not only highlights athletic prowess but also fosters a sense of community and national pride among supporters.<\/p>\n

Halimah Mahrez’s emergence as a fan favorite reflects the growing importance of familial support in sports. As players often credit their success to their families, Halimah’s presence at the matches symbolizes the emotional connection between athletes and their loved ones, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the event.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What You Need to Know Halimah Mahrez, mother of Algerian captain Riyad Mahrez, has captured media attention at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Her charming personality and supportive presence have made her a beloved figure among fans, often overshadowing her son’s achievements on the field. Halimah’s involvement has turned her into a symbol […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":3767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[120,756,115,1006,1007,1005],"class_list":{"0":"post-3769","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sport","8":"tag-africa","9":"tag-africa-cup","10":"tag-algeria","11":"tag-fan-symbol","12":"tag-halimah-mahrez","13":"tag-riyad-mahrez"},"yoast_head":"\nRiyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Halimah Mahrez captivates fans and media at the Africa Cup, becoming a symbol of support for the Algerian national team.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Halimah Mahrez captivates fans and media at the Africa Cup, becoming a symbol of support for the Algerian national team.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Africa Press English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-08T04:08:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-08T05:39:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1728\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1152\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-08T04:08:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-08T05:39:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon\"},\"wordCount\":599,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa\",\"Africa Cup\",\"Algeria\",\"Fan Symbol\",\"Halimah Mahrez\",\"Riyad Mahrez\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon\",\"name\":\"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON - Africa Press English\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-08T04:08:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-08T05:39:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Halimah Mahrez captivates fans and media at the Africa Cup, becoming a symbol of support for the Algerian national team.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg\",\"width\":1728,\"height\":1152,\"caption\":\"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Africa Press English\",\"description\":\"\u0623\u0648\u0644 \u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a \u064a\u0643\u062a\u0628 \u0628\u0644\u063a\u0629 \u0628\u0644\u062f\u0627\u0646\u0647\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON - Africa Press English","description":"Halimah Mahrez captivates fans and media at the Africa Cup, becoming a symbol of support for the Algerian national team.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON","og_description":"Halimah Mahrez captivates fans and media at the Africa Cup, becoming a symbol of support for the Algerian national team.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon","og_site_name":"Africa Press English","article_published_time":"2026-01-08T04:08:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-08T05:39:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1728,"height":1152,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON","datePublished":"2026-01-08T04:08:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-08T05:39:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon"},"wordCount":599,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg","keywords":["Africa","Africa Cup","Algeria","Fan Symbol","Halimah Mahrez","Riyad Mahrez"],"articleSection":["Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon","name":"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON - Africa Press English","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-08T04:08:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-08T05:39:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Halimah Mahrez captivates fans and media at the Africa Cup, becoming a symbol of support for the Algerian national team.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/sm_1767850467.664811.jpg","width":1728,"height":1152,"caption":"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/sport\/riyad-mahrezs-mother-emerges-as-a-fan-icon-at-afcon#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Riyad Mahrez\u2019S Mother Emerges as a Fan Icon at AFCON"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/","name":"Africa Press English","description":"\u0623\u0648\u0644 \u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a \u064a\u0643\u062a\u0628 \u0628\u0644\u063a\u0629 \u0628\u0644\u062f\u0627\u0646\u0647","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}