‘One, two, three ... viva Kansas City!’ Algerians give last thoughts on KC, Lawrence
Six words from Jemel Gouet — who lives in Montreal but has Algerian roots — echoed throughout the lower concourse at Kansas City Stadium on Saturday ahead of the final of four group-stage matches played in the home of the Chiefs.
“One, two, three, viva Kansas City!”
Not long after, a banner made by Algerian fans was hanging behind one of the goals. It read: “Thank you, Lawrence.”
Algerians have found themselves a second home within the greater Kansas City area following the warm welcome from Lawrence, just 45 minutes west and the site of the University of Kansas. The African team and its fans have formed a deep connection with the town over the past few weeks while their base operations were set there for the World Cup.
“Rock Chalk Algeria” has become a rallying cry, with some fans merging the colors of the Algerian flag with the Jayhawk. It’s unknown if they were briefed on the explicit chant they heard when “Mr. Brightside” blasted through Arrowhead’s speakers during the first hydration break Saturday, but that just means they’ve more than assimilated into KU’s culture.
The connection between the town with a population of just under 100,000 and the largest country in Africa has become one of the top stories of the 2026 tournament, and fans of the Desert Foxes have been appreciative of the hospitality shown by Lawrence natives and Kansas Citians when they visited to see their team play.
“A beautiful bond has been created, and we love the Kansas City community,” Gouet said ahead of the Algeria-Austria match, played to a thrilling 3-3 finish. “They love us, and we love them”
No matter the result of the game (both Austria and Algeria will move to the knockout rounds), Saturday’s game could mark the last time they’d play in Kansas City. It’s an experience Youcef Ouaar, who is from London, won’t ever forget.
Ouaar has been to Kansas City both times Algeria’s played, and also traveled to Santa Clara, California, to watch his team defeat Jordan 2-1 on Monday. He had time to visit the base camp in Lawrence and enjoyed the atmosphere created by the college town.
While he’s been in the area, he said it was also nice to see how many others commuted from the Midwest to Lawrence and Kansas City to see the Algerian national team. It was also great for him to see how many Algerians living in the United States congregated in one area, if only for a brief moment in time.
“I love it,” Ouaar said. “You guys have the best hospitality. I think the people here are really nice, and it’s so nice to see so many Americans supporting Algeria as well.”
‘Laid out the red carpet’
Hidden among the sea of Algerian green and Austrian red was Merzouk Toumert, in attendance with his sons Alek and Noah and brother in-law Tom Paulette. With an hour to go before game time, they were hanging out in the first level concourse before taking their seats.
Alek Toumert had been to Kansas City before to watch the Chiefs, but this marked his father’s first time. The elder Toumert didn’t know what to expect, but he thought both Kansas City and Lawrence have done a great job hosting.
“They laid out the red carpet for everybody, but especially the Algerians,” Merzouk Toumert said. “The way they’ve adopted the national team and supported them is fantastic.”
Merzouk Toumert was born in Algeria but moved to Cleveland with his family when he was young and has been there for the past 45 years. He says there are similar vibes in both Cleveland and Kansas City, and his family will be looking for a chance to get to Lawrence before Algeria’s next match against Switzerland in the Round of 32 on Thursday.
‘We invite you to come to Algeria’
At a news conference Friday, June 26, Elizabeth Moore Aubin, the ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria from 2022-2026, said she hopes this newfound love between Algeria and Lawrence and the greater KC area doesn’t come to an end when the World Cup does.
“I think there are things that both the private sector, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and the public sector can be doing to continue to foster the base that has now been built here,” Aubin said. “As I move forward in the private sector, I hope to be able to find ways to encourage and influence in a very positive way.”
Merzouk Toumert said he’d love to see Lawrence become a sister city to Algiers, the capital of Algeria. Ouaar agreed.
Gouet hopes this fraternity continues long after we’ve all left this earth.
One thing they all said? Now it’s Kansas City’s turn to go to Algeria.
“We invite you to come to Algeria, Kansas City people,” Gouet said “We’re going to welcome you the same as you did us.”
“Just say you’re from Kansas City, and the Algerians will look after you,” Ouaar said. “Algerian people are very good at hosting people as a part of their culture.”
