As the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds across the United States, one unexpected heartwarming story has emerged from Lawrence, a quiet mid-sized city of 100,000 in the state of Kansas, which has become an unlikely home away from home for the Algerian national men’s football team.
When the Algerian Football Federation confirmed in February that it would base its World Cup preparations in Lawrence, city tourism officials immediately began planning the warmest welcome possible. Explore Lawrence, the city’s official tourism board, launched extensive community outreach efforts to turn the entire city into a supportive home for the squad, a milestone event for a community that has never hosted an international World Cup team before.
In the weeks leading up to the team’s arrival, organizers hosted “Soccer 101” workshops for local residents. Beyond teaching the basic rules of international football (distinct from the American football the region is famous for), the sessions also introduced locals to Algerian culture, history and fan traditions, building a foundation of connection beyond sport.
When the Algerian players finally rolled into Lawrence, hundreds of cheering local fans lined the routes to greet them. That excitement translated into a packed community training session at Rock Chalk Park, where squad members took time to interact with local youth football players, swapping tips and posing for photos.
The warm embrace extends far beyond official city events. With a large Algerian diaspora community settled just 40 miles away outside Kansas City, Missouri, daily streams of Algerian supporters travel to Lawrence to catch a glimpse of their favorite players. Many local residents have opened their private homes to traveling fans: Ruth DeWitt, Explore Lawrence’s community relations director, has hosted Minneapolis-based Algerian supporter Wassini Souarit in her house for the entire duration of the tournament.
“There were so many challenges for Algerians to travel here, and we just adopted them as our home team,” DeWitt explained. “Of course we’re rooting for the USA, but we’re rooting for Algeria just as much because we are so happy that they chose Lawrence as their base camp. That’s exactly what the World Cup is about. Until you experience it for yourself, you have absolutely no idea how powerful that connection really is.”
Local businesses have also leaned into the welcoming spirit, with many local restaurants adjusting their menus to offer halal options for players and visiting fans. Algerian national flags now line downtown streets and storefronts, turning the whole city bright green and white ahead of Algeria’s opening Group Stage match against defending champions Argentina, scheduled to kick off Tuesday at the Kansas City Chiefs’ NFL home stadium.
Renowned 76-year-old earthworks artist Stan Herd even created a large-scale tribute to the Algerian team on the University of Kansas campus: a giant, full-color reproduction of the Algerian national flag that can only be viewed in full from the roof of the campus’s tallest building. “This town is really embracing this moment as much for our visitors as for ourselves,” Herd said. “I think it’s a pretty welcoming state, but we’re beginning to love football more than [American] football.”
For Herd and the wider Lawrence community, hosting Algeria is about far more than a few weeks of World Cup. It is an opportunity to showcase midwestern hospitality to the world, and bridge divides between neighbors that have lived alongside each other for years without connecting. “A lot of people, through an effort like this, make common cause with their neighbours that they may have passed by for years,” Herd noted. “Now that we’re all on the same team now trying to show and present ourselves in the best way we can. We see this is a very great opportunity to show how Kansans welcome the world.”