Little Algeria: Kansas City Embraces World Cup Team

In a small city in Kansas, a World Cup love story has unfolded. Algeria has made Lawrence their base camp for the tournament, and the city has been taken over by national flags and fan gatherings.

Preparations and Welcoming

When the city learned in February that Algeria would be staying there, preparations began immediately. "We started preparations to make sure they knew they were going to be welcome," said Ruth DeWitt, director of community relations at Explore Lawrence, the city's tourism bureau. "Lawrence has just rolled out the red carpet for the team in so many different ways. We are so happy that they chose Lawrence as their base camp. We've never had anything like this here before so we are just thrilled that they're here."

Before the team arrived, the city held 'Soccer 101' classes to teach locals the rules of football, along with lessons about Algeria and its fan culture. The players were welcomed by hundreds of fans as they arrived, and even more filled Rock Chalk Park for a community training session where players interacted with local children.

Community Engagement and Fan Support

Algerian communities based just outside Kansas City in neighboring Missouri—about 40 miles from Lawrence—have brought visitors to the region daily, hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes. DeWitt has even taken Algeria supporter Wassini Souarit, who lives in Minneapolis, into her home for the tournament. "I think it's part of who Lawrence is to begin with," she said. "But then there were so many challenges for Algerians to travel here and we just adopted them as our home team. And 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. That's what people told us the World Cup is about. And so you sort of think 'that's right', but until you experience it for yourself, you have absolutely no idea how powerful that connection really is."

Art and Cultural Integration

Art installations and fan gatherings are visible throughout Lawrence as the team prepares for their first match against holders Argentina at Kansas City Stadium on Tuesday (02:00 BST Wednesday). Supporter gatherings have been held at Union Station in Kansas City, and earthworks artist Stan Herd created an installation at the University of Kansas Campus. The art piece, a huge version of the Algeria flag, can be seen in its entirety from the roof of the campus. "We are so excited—a town of 100,000, to welcome these amazing people from Algeria," said Herd. "So we're having people, restaurant owners are cooking halal. This town is really embracing for ourselves as much as for our visitors, but this is a very welcoming town. I think it's a pretty welcoming state, but we're beginning to love football more than [American] football."

With people from around the world coming to the US—and specifically Lawrence—for the first time, the 76-year-old artist believes the tournament has brought people together. "I do think that that's the case [that] a lot of people, through an effort like this, make common cause with their neighbours that they may have passed by for years," he said. "And now that we're all on the same team now trying to show and present ourselves in the best way we can. We are very welcoming community. We see this is a very great opportunity to show how Kansans welcome the world."