In summer 2018, a year after being relegated to the Division d'Honneur of Béjaïa (then 7th tier),[1] Olympique Akbou was acquired by local businessman Karim Takka.[2] The club immediately gained promotion to the Régional II the following season. Following 2 successive promotions (the 2020–21 having not been held due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the club found itself in the 3rd tier (the removal of the professional Ligue 2 meant all below tiers would gain one step).
The 2022–23 season saw the club achieve historic success. Bolstered by the arrivals of Mourad Karouf in November 2022 at the helm and Zidane Mebarakou during the winter transfer window at the back, the club achieved a run to the 2022–23 Algerian Cup quarter-finals.[3] On 5 May 2023, Olympique Akbou were promoted to the Algerian Ligue 2 for the first time in their history.[4][5] It was their 4th consecutive promotion.
The 2023–24 season began with an away loss at CA Batna. Nevertheless, the club bounced back and went on a 23-game unbeaten run in the league, which started on October 7th with a 5–0 home win against USM Annaba and ended on May 7th with a 1–0 away loss at AS Aïn M'lila. On 11 May 2024, Olympique Akbou were promoted to the Ligue 1 for the first time in their history after beating NRB Teleghma.[6] It was their 5th consecutive promotion, and thus becoming one of the very few clubs around the world to have done so.
Grounds
Olympique Akbou typically play at 1 November Guendouza Stadium in Akbou.[7]
However, the past years, they also played their home games in neighboring cities, such as Sidi Aïch and Ighzer Amokrane.[8][9]
The Algerian teams are limited to five foreign players. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player.
Current squad
As of 1 August 2024[update]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
