Nihed Naili


Nouhed Naïli is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Seconde Ligue club [OGC OGC Nice (women)|Nice (women)|Nice] and the Algeria national team. She is an Olympique Lyonnais youth academy graduate.

Early life

Naïli was born in Guelma, Algeria, into a sports-oriented family. Her father, Skander, is a former player for ES Guelma and US Tébessa, as well as a former junior international during the 1980s. Even her uncle, Abdelkader, known as Kadour, was part of the famous ES Guelma team in the 1960s.

Club career

Naïli started her youth career with ES Genas Azieu in 2018. She joined Olympique Lyonnais Academy in 2019. where she played for youth teams as a striker for four years. In her last match with the reserve team, she scored a hat-trick, helping them win the Ligue Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Football Cup against Clermont Foot 63.
She signed her first professional with Division 2 Féminine club Stade Brestois 29. After playing 14 matches and scoring three goals, Nihed subsequently joined OGC Nice in September 2023.

International career

In November 2021, Naili got her first call-up to the Algerian national team by coach Radia Fertoul to play two friendly matches against Tunisia, as a part of the preparation for the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification. Naili made her senior team debut on 28 November 2021 in a 4–2 friendly win over Tunisia.