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Team Algeria may be leaving Lawrence, Kansas. But hopefully Lawrence isn’t leaving Team Algeria anytime soon.
Because against all odds, the Desert Foxes secured their spot in the World Cup knockouts — drawing Austria to a 3-3 ending in a thrilling match last Saturday in Kansas City.
The World Cup showdown between the Desert Foxes, based in the Kansas college town for the tournament, and Austria was a cold-and-hot and cold-and-hot-again battle to 3-3. But it secured a place for both teams in the Round of 32.
"We are so proud of them, and I'm happy of Lawrence," said Algerian Ryadh Abbals, celebrating in the streets of Lawrence after the win. "I wish them all the best. And I wish they can reach the maximum levels — and why not the final?"
Don’t miss this great dispatch from Lawrence by KCUR’s Cassandra Isobelle Flores, Luke Martin and more contributors.
Algerians at the game showed their appreciation with a banner reading, "Thank you Lawrence.”
On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Algiers gave thanks, too: “Thank you for the friendship bracelets and keepsakes, the warm welcomes, the cheers, the conversations. And thank you for showing the world what Midwestern hospitality is all about… Thank you Kansas for making Team Algeria feel at home.”
شكرًا لك يا لورانس، وشكرًا لك يا كانساس. 🇺🇸🇩🇿
— US Embassy Algiers (@USEmbAlgiers) June 29, 2026
مع تأهل المنتخب الجزائري إلى المرحلة التالية من المنافسة، لا يسعنا إلا أن نتوجه إليكم بجزيل الشكر.
شكرًا لاستقبالكم المنتخب الجزائري وجماهيره التي سافرت إلى كانساس، وشكرًا على أساور الصداقة، والهدايا التذكارية، وحفاوة الاستقبال،… pic.twitter.com/iJQ8LWb4Ao
What does that hospitality look like in practice? Sometimes it’s a big swing, like a giant Algerian flag carved into the hillside.
And sometimes it’s just a collection of small, meaningful gestures.
KCUR’s Celisa Calacal went down to Lawrence to see how restaurants and bars opened their doors and changed their menus — scrapping pork dishes so they’re halal-friendly, swapping alcoholic beverages for imported sodas, teas and coffee to accommodate Muslim patrons, and even offering specials using Algerian ingredients.
“Lawrence is, like, the picture of how to engage with culture in a positive way and make friends across the oceans,” said local Arab American journalist Fally Afani, who published The Arab’s Guide to Lawrence in May. “People have a very narrow view of folks from the Middle East, and this has been really nice to see their worldview expanding.”
With the group stage over, the remaining number of World Cup teams will quickly thin. And even though Kansas City has two more games left — this Friday’s match between Ghana and Colombia, and a quarterfinal on July 11 — we’ll be saying goodbye in short order to the teams and fans who’ve found a temporary home here.
Life comes at you quick: Just days after the Netherlands inspired a record 36,000 people to join an Oranje Fanwalk through downtown Kansas City, culminating in a rainy 3-1 walloping of Tunisia at Arrowhead Stadium, the Dutch team got knocked out of the tournament by Morocco. On Wednesday, they hopped a plane back to Holland.
As for Algeria, Les Fennecs packed up from their Lawrence hotel and hit the road for Vancouver. Thursday’s match will be an uphill fight: Algeria is ranked 29th in the world, and Switzerland is 16th. But an Algeria win wouldn’t be the biggest upset to happen so far.
That’s why I hope this is more of a “see you later.” Because if Algeria makes it through, they’ll face the winner of Friday’s Colombia-Ghana matchup. Then, the quarterfinals will bring that winner back here to Kansas City Stadium… most likely to face Argentina. Oof.
Then again, you never know with this World Cup.
Root, root, root for the home team: Your World Cup score updates
First, the good news: All four of the teams based around Kansas City managed to advance to the Round of 32! Against all odds. But now that we’re in knockouts, the rules are a little different.
Here is your rules refresher: From here on out, it’s winner takes all. And there must be a winner. If the two teams remain at a draw following full time (90 minutes plus stoppage), we go to extra time, with two 15-minute halves. You might see broadcasters specify “no golden goal,” meaning that unlike some American football rules, we’re playing the whole half hour no matter what.
Still at a tie? Then teams go to penalty kicks, mano a mano. Alternating shots on goal, best of five, and then sudden death if needed. This is where hearts get broken, and legends get made.
- The United States lost a little momentum after a 2-3 loss against Turkiye last Thursday, a match in which the U.S. rested many of its major players since it already secured advancement. This knockout game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 2, in San Francisco, will be a big one. (Fun fact: St. Louis has one of the largest Bosnian communities outside of Europe.)
- The Netherlands is out, the first of Kansas City’s home-base teams to go. Who would have thought? After nearly bulldozing their way into the Round of 32, the Dutch fell to Morocco in a dramatic penalty shootout on Monday. Head coach Ronald Koeman then resigned after the disappointing performance.
- Argentina gave up their first goal of the tournament to Jordan in a 3-1 win last week, while Lionel Messi racked up his sixth goal. Their path takes them to Miami against Cabo Verde, one of the World Cup’s best underdog stories as the smallest nation to ever qualify for the Round of 32. Watch for that at 5 p.m. Friday, July 3.
- Algeria needed a win or a tie to sneak through to the Round of 32. Improbably, they got a draw Saturday in Kansas City, and now face Switzerland at 10 p.m. Thursday, July 2, in Vancouver.
- England is up against the Democratic Republic of the Congo right now in Atlanta. The Three Lions ended their group stage with a 2-0 win against Panama, who left the World Cup without a single goal or point. Ouch.
Kansas City sees record days of travel, full stadiums and OK hotel bookings
Just before the World Cup, Kansas City was in somewhat of a panic. A report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association reported that 88% of local hotels were booking below their projections, causing anxiety over whether fans would actually show up after all.
(As in many cities, FIFA also booked tens of thousands of hotel rooms to artificially hike demand — then canceled most of them. That certainly hurt.)
So how are things shaking out so far? At Kansas City International Airport, last Friday saw Thanksgiving holiday-levels of flight traffic, both coming and going, as it was sandwiched between two World Cup games. And June 17, after the Argentina-Algeria match, was the airport’s second-busiest day for outbound traffic on the books.
More than 201,262 attendees and 2,100 dogs have come through the FIFA Fan Festival, according to KC2026 (and purchased 7,793 margaritas).
What about hotels? Figures from VisitKC show that room reservations surrounding the Argentina-Algeria game were up about 111% over the same time last year. Bookings for the dates around this Friday’s Round of 32 match are up 99%.
But the increase in bookings isn’t panning out exactly as anticipated (especially for local businesses). Instead of fans staying for days or weeks, most are coming into town and making last-minute reservations for the night of the match.
Official hotel numbers won’t be released until after the tournament ends, and those won’t include Airbnbs or other short-term rentals. But these stats do point to a more limited impact on tourism, since visitors aren’t giving themselves much time to do anything except go to their game and try some BBQ. (Seriously, go to LC’s for the pork burnt ends.)
How about the games themselves? Kansas City Stadium has not had an issue with empty seats, like some other World Cup locations. Two matches totally sold out the FIFA capacity of 69,045 — Argentina-Algeria and Algeria-Austria — while the other two nights weren’t far behind. KC2026 says the stadium has so far welcomed 275,079 spectators.
And knowing how passionate Colombian and Ghanaian fans are, I don’t expect to see much empty space this Friday, July 3. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m.
Lionel Messi is a machine, literally, at this North Kansas City middle school
About 25 eighth graders from Maple Park Middle School in the North Kansas City School District spent the last two weeks of summer school researching countries with base camps in Kansas City.
Much like the World Cup, the project took a lot of teamwork to animate, costume, voice and make backgrounds for different players. Students showcased their animatronics last week, with each player sharing information about their life and career — through students’ voices.
Eighth grader Connor Donnelly said his favorite part was programming his team’s animatronic. He said the project immediately made him think of the popular horror video game series “Five Nights at Freddy's,” which features mechanical puppets. Except here, you’ll find a motorized Lionel Messi of Argentina, Harry Kane of England, and even Kansas City Sports Commission leader Kathy Nelson.
Check out this story from KCUR’s Jodi Fortino — and try to remember, these robots can’t hurt you.
An inside look at a World Cup match night in a 5 a.m. bar in Kansas City
The Beacon’s Thomas White got my dream assignment, and everyone needs to read it.
On the night of the Argentina-Algeria match in Kansas City, this intrepid journalist decided to post up at The Quaff, one of just 16 bars and restaurants around town allowed to offer 23-hour liquor sales during the World Cup.
Like myself, Thomas had many questions about how Kansas City’s expanded liquor laws might actually work in practice. How many people would truly want to be out drinking until 5 a.m. to celebrate a World Cup win on a weeknight? Would staying open be worth it? And what sort of debauchery, or perhaps even community, might arise from such circumstances?
If anything, White’s story makes me yearn for our city to support more honest-to-goodness late-night restaurants — one of our great shortcomings as a sports town. For my part, after returning from the Ecuador-Curaçao game, my party stopped at Winstead’s Steakburgers for shakes and fried food. The energy was high, the patrons were respectful, and the fries needed a good bit more salt. A perfect way to end the evening.
Kickin’ the ball around Kansas City
- Colombia vs. Ghana: Ahead of the match, Ghana fans will gather at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 2 at Washington Square Park. Colombia fans plan to rally at 6 p.m. that evening at Mill Creek Park. (KCTV5)
- Fan Fest returns Friday: The enormous watch parties at Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Festival took a break this week, but the Independence Day weekend will bring a mix of high-stakes games, music performances, and a July 4 Stars and Stripes spectacular. (KC2026)
- Where to watch Team USA: KC Live, Sporting Park, Rock Island Bridge and Shawnee’s Theatre in the Park are all showing the U.S. men’s national team game against Bosnia and Herzegovina at 7 p.m. Wednesday. (The Kansas City Star)
- Ding! Ding! Kansas City’s streetcar system has averaged 34,139 riders a day since the start of the World Cup, with a new single-day record of 48,260 this past Saturday. (FOX4)
- Double trouble: We’ve been hearing from some Kansas City businesses about how the World Cup slowed down sales, as locals avoid the streetcar and crowded downtown areas. Not only is that true for LuLu’s Thai Noodle Shop in the Crossroads, but their concession sales at the FIFA Fan Festival have also proven disappointing. (Startland News)
- Grilling out: Team Argentina shipped more than 1,000 pounds of meat to Kansas City for its World Cup stay, to keep players fed with plenty of ribs and steak. (The Kansas City Star)
- Speaking of food: Los Hornos, an Argentinian restaurant in the Northland, has been quietly closing its restaurant to feed players. They’re still waiting on Lionel Messi to show up, though. (KSHB)
- Stay watching: More than halfway through the World Cup, Kansas City is far and away the top local market in the U.S. for television viewership — especially USMNT games. (FOX Sports)
Kickin’ the ball around the continent
- Sweating it: A massive heat wave is sending temperatures into the triple digits in much of the eastern United States, in the middle of the World Cup’s crucial knockout rounds. Kansas City’s Friday night game may also feel the impact. (NPR)
- Great on pizza: Ranch dressing has become the most desirable souvenir from World Cup visitors coming back from America, except for the TSA restrictions on liquids in carry-on bags. I’m pretty sure there’s no rules against stuffing an entire suitcase full of ranch seasoning packets, though! (Washington Post)
- Charmed, I’m sure: At Fan Festivals around the country, hours-long lines are a fixture — not for water or restrooms, but for custom charm bracelets from the Bank of America booth. Philadelphia’s festival is trying to streamline the process. I did not even attempt to wait for one at Kansas City’s. (Billy Penn)
- Pay to play: Unlike other countries, soccer in the U.S. has tended to be an affluent, white suburban sport — putting it out of reach for many, and ultimately hurting the country’s talent pipeline. (WLRN)
- Mullin that one over: Iran’s football federation accused the U.S. of peddling “lies” after Homeland Security director Markwayne Mullin celebrated Iran’s exit from the tournament. The U.S. imposed harsh travel restrictions on Iran’s team. (The Guardian)
- Missing you: Democratic Republic of Congo superfan Lumumba Vea, who stands motionless while dressed as the country’s first former prime minister, had to miss the team’s games in the United States because his visa was denied. (Al Jazeera)
- Mazel tov: A married couple in Philadelphia had their wedding party photos crashed in the best way by Croatian soccer fans. (Billy Penn)
- The price of profit: U.S. staff members reportedly tried to advise FIFA against the use of dynamic pricing for World Cup games, but were overruled by top leaders who wanted to maximize revenue. (The Guardian)
- StubHubSnub: With FIFA’s official ticket prices out of reach, a growing number of fans who purchased resale game tickets say they were left empty-handed on match day — forcing them to either miss out or scramble to find new tickets, often costing twice or triple what they originally paid and for worse seats. (NPR)
- What, no KC? Here’s why the U.S. men’s national team has played out their entire World Cup on the west coast, by design. (The Athletic)
- Off-the-pitch perfect: From the Tartan Army invasion of Boston to Cape Verde’s Cinderella story to the Mexico-South Korea friendship, here are some of the most heartwarming World Cup stories so far. (WBUR)
