The progression of the Algerian football team to the final of the African Cup of Nations, the first for 29 years, has sparked both wild scenes of jubilation from the Algerian diaspora across France as well as a racist backlash fuelled by right-wing theories of a ‘great replacement'. In this article, Hector Uniacke discusses the political situation in both France and Algeria, and the high stakes of tonight's final against Senegal.