History of RC Kouba
Eighty years of green-and-white history in a synchronised timeline: toggle the "Club", "Kouba" and "Algeria" layers to read the Raed's story within that of its town and country.
Synchronised timeline
1545
The dome that named a town Kouba
A pasha of Algiers raises a palace and a mosque on the hill; its dome · the "qoubba" visible from afar, gives the place its name. Sources hesitate between 1543 and 1545.
1832
The colonial village Kouba
An ordinance creates the settlement of Kouba, first peopled by German families bound for America and soon replaced by French settlers. One of Algeria's first colonial villages. Verified
1945
Birth of Riadha Club de Kouba RCK
On 28 February 1945, in the Oued Kniss quarter, Mustapha Benouenniche and his companions found a "Muslim" club with an entirely Algerian membership · football and boxing. The Raed's birth certificate. Verified
1946
First competitive steps RCK
First official match on 19 October 1946 in the third division of the colonial championships, before climbing towards the Algiers league at the end of the decade.
1949
A stadium for Kouba Kouba
The municipal stadium · the future Mohamed Benhaddad Stadium · opens, presented at the time as one of Africa's largest. It will become the Raed's home. Verified
1954
The Algerian Revolution Algeria
On 1 November 1954 the war of liberation begins. Kouba will pay its tribute: among its martyrs, Mohamed Benhaddad, one of the club's early figures, missing since 1957. Verified
1962
Independence Algeria
On 5 July 1962 Algeria is independent. Football is reorganised; RCK enters the era of national championships. Verified
1964
Algeria's first football academy RCK
RCK founds the country's first football school: generations of internationals will pass through the "Kouba school". The same year, the École Normale Supérieure settles in Kouba. Verified
1966
First cup final RCK
On 24 April 1966 the Raed plays its first Algerian Cup final, losing 3-1 to CR Belcourt. The following season it finishes league runners-up. Verified
1975
Runners-up again RCK
Second place in the 1974-75 championship: the golden age in full swing, driven by the Amirouche generation and then the academy's youngsters. Verified
1981
Champions of Algeria! RCK
As Raed Solb Kouba, under Abdelkader Zerrar, the club wins the 1980-81 championship with 65 points, a single point ahead of JS Kabylie · the title sealed on the final day with a 2-0 win over MC Alger and a Nordine Meghichi brace. On 28 August 1981 RCK also lifts the first Algerian Super Cup (3-1 against USM Alger). Verified
1982
The African adventure RCK
The only continental campaign: RSK eliminates KAC Kénitra then Stella Abidjan (on penalties) before falling in the quarter-finals to Nigeria's Enugu Rangers. Verified
1987
The Touggourt road tragedy RCK
On 12 February 1987 the team bus crashes en route to Touggourt: six players · Mohamed Kab, Saïd Chakir, Abdelkader Saâdi, Hocine Boualdja, Saâdi Guezou and Abderrazak Rouibi · lose their lives. The shattered club withdraws from the league; former greats return to help it back up by 1988. Never forgotten. Verified
1984
Kouba grows Kouba
Large housing estates transform the commune (Annassers, Garidi, Ben Omar); the Moufdi-Zakaria Palace of Culture opens on the Annassers plateau, and the creation of Gué de Constantine redraws the communal boundaries. Verified
2008
The CAS case and the 17th place RCK
After a legal saga born of the 2007-08 promotion race, the Court of Arbitration for Sport imposes RCK's integration as the 17th club of the 2008-09 top flight · unprecedented in Algeria. Bottom of the table, the Raed goes down: to this day its last top-flight season. Verified
2012
First drop to the third tier RCK
Relegated from the second division in spring 2012, the club discovers the third tier for the first time in its history. It will leave it as champion in 2017.
2020
Back in Ligue 2 RCK
On 5 August 2020, as part of the league restructuring, RCK is promoted to the amateur Ligue 2, where it has since played in the Centre and then Centre-West groups. Verified
2024-2026
At the gates of promotion RCK
Runners-up in the Centre-West group in 2023-24 and again in 2024-25, still in the race in 2025-26 (4th at matchday 25), the Raed narrowly misses a return to Ligue 1. In summer 2026 Mohamed Manaâ takes charge with a stated goal: promotion. Verified
The title season: 1980-81 in detail
Final standings (scoring of the era: win 3 pts, draw 2, loss 1) · source RSSSF:
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raed Solb Kouba | 28 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 46-27 | 65 |
| 2 | JE Tizi-Ouzou (JS Kabylie) | 28 | 64 | ||||
| 3 | EP Sétif (ES Sétif) | 28 | 63 | ||||
The title-winning coach, Abdelkader Zerrar, a former club player (1966-70), led the Raed from 1970 to 1987. The emblematic XI was built around Mehdi Cerbah in goal, Mohamed Kaci-Saïd and Rachid Bouzama in midfield, Salah Assad and Nordine Meghichi up front. Verified Meet the 1981 generation.