Lawrence preparing to host Algerian men’s national soccer team
Algeria is around 5,000 miles from Lawrence, Kansas, but this summer, their men’s soccer team will make Lawrence their home.
On Feb. 19, it was officially announced that the Algerian men’s national team would be based in Lawrence for their FIFA World Cup Matches this summer. The planning process of bringing a World Cup team to Lawrence has been in motion for over two years, according to Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KU’s director of news and media relations and member of the Joint Information Center (JIC) for the Lawrence 2026 project.
“It’s been a long term process, even before we knew what team was going to be here, or if we were even going to have a team,” Barcomb-Peterson said.
Now that Algeria’s base has been officially announced to the public, planning can continue.
The team will be practicing at Rock Chalk Park in West Lawrence and have access to all of its facilities, including the field that is typically home to Kansas Soccer. There has also been speculation that the team will stay at the Oread Hotel, but that has not been confirmed.
According to Barcomb-Peterson, there are many aspects to plan for, such as safety, security, traffic and transportation, business operations, and how to make the team and its staff feel welcome.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Barcomb-Peterson said. “We’re still looking at what volunteer opportunities might be available, and businesses are ramping up to prepare for the onslaught of people who will be coming.”
Businesses within Lawrence are among those who may be most impacted by the World Cup happenings in Kansas. Players, staff members and fans will all be spending time in Lawrence, undoubtedly paying visits to the local shops and restaurants.
Samir Iskandrani, owner of Aladdin Cafe, is excited to have the team in town.
“I tried to contact Team Algeria to see if they wanted to do any team dinners,” Iskandrani said. “My dad and I are pretty big soccer fans and just having a team, especially from the region that my parents are from, would be a pretty big deal.”
Aladdin Cafe serves Middle Eastern food, so Iskandrani wants the opportunity to welcome the team and offer them a taste of home while in Lawrence.
“We want to cater to them and make them feel welcome in a country that isn’t necessarily their own,” he said. “We offer everything halal and, you know, I’d like to think it’s healthy food or at least enough so that they can go play soccer the next day.”
As Lawrence prepares for the logistics of the situation, there are also opportunities for fun events. The Central Station bus stop will be making trips to the FIFA Fan Fest in Kansas City, and the team will even host an open practice for fans at Rock Chalk Park.
As the World Cup draws closer and the summer months approach, more info about specific plans will come out. For now, the hard work and excitement is only beginning.
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