Lawrence, Kansas, has become an unexpected international darling during this summer’s World Cup, as the college town makes headlines all over the world for its mutual love affair with the Algerian men’s national soccer team.
Les Fennecs arrived the first weekend in June to a city that showed up with welcome videos, Algerian flags and halal-friendly menus at local restaurants.
Like all World Cup teams, the Algerians held an open practice for the community to watch players. Unlike more traditional practices, though, the June 11 gathering felt like a true cross-cultural celebration.
“1, 2, 3, Viva l'Algérie!” The thunderous chant rang through Rock Chalk Park that Thursday evening, followed by the University of Kansas marching band playing the Algerian national anthem as the crowd stood in reverence.
Hundreds of Algerian fans gathered for the historic community training session, eager to catch a glimpse of the Algerian National Team before its first match against Argentina. The team warmed up and practiced before heading to the other side of the park for a clinic for local youths. Fans got a chance to take pictures with their favorite stars, and some even got an autograph or two.
“I’m so excited!” said Nassima Goubrid, who drove in from Kansas City.
She couldn’t contain her enthusiasm as she proudly held up the Algerian flag. The community training session was a celebration and homage to her home country.
Lawrence residents were not shy about displaying their support, wearing Algerian team garb and wrapping themselves in the team scarves. There were lots of high-fives, and cheers rocked the stands as the crowd watched the practice.
“It was a great way to bring people...all over the place, out here,” said Joseph Hawker, a recent KU graduate working on the university grounds crew. “This is an opportunity most of us will never get again.”
For Algerians, the sense of pride was apparent. Olathe resident Tarek Bouzidi joined the festivities with his wife and children. As players that he usually only views through a screen jogged across the turf, the miles between the American Midwest and his home country disappeared.
“You feel like you are in your country exactly,” Bouzidi said. “When you see your team coming into Kansas, this feeling you cannot describe for anybody.”
Though Algeria is clearly the fan favorite in Lawrence, students and professors with African ties have gathered to root for — and against — the continent’s other teams, as well. A record-breaking 10 African teams qualified for this year’s cup.
On the same day as the Algeria training, Ph.D. students and professors gathered in the Department for African and African-American Studies to watch South Africa take on Mexico.
“The mood is high up!” said Ph.D. student Elizabeth Chunda, who organized the watch party. “This is a moment for us to just reconnect and watch together.”
Chunda is studying for her doctorate in American studies and working as the student outreach coordinator for the Kansas African Studies Center. During the summer, work slows and hallways are empty.
Chunda says that this summer’s watch parties will ignite humor and cultural conversation.
“All the jokes, all the politics. I think that’s my favorite part,” said Chunda. “Everything around who’s voting for who, why they’re voting for them. If there’s like two African teams playing against each other and then the other team loses, it’s always heartbreaking.”
Football, as the rest of the world calls American soccer, is the most popular sport in almost all African nations. It combines community connection and athletic enthusiasm in Africans' day-to-day lives.
On that Thursday, though, it wasn’t the African team that the 15 or so attendees were pulling for — chants of "Viva Mexico!" rang out.
South Africa has seen a rise in xenophobia in recent years, and Chunda said large numbers of African migrants are being chased out of the country.
“That’s why I really love coming to these, or that’s why it’s really nice to be in such communities. Because you get the, you know, politics on the ground rather than just like seeing them on social media,” said Chunda. “You get to be a part of something.”
One African nation, however, merely dims the bright light that shines on the other nine competing teams. Chunda has been away from her home country, Zambia, for three years. This World Cup allows her and her peers to reconnect with roots, heritage, and home.
“You want to stand for something. You want to still belong. The politics with the World Cup, the politics with soccer, kind of just bring out the relationships that we have on the continent amongst each other,” Chunda said.
Algeria's next game is Monday, June 22 at 10 p.m. against Jordan.