The city of Lawrence, Kansas, and the University of Kansas announced that Algeria's men's national team will use the area as its base camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team will train at Rock Chalk Park on the KU campus during the tournament. This selection fills the final base camp spot in the greater Kansas City region.
On February 19, 2026, officials from the City of Lawrence and the University of Kansas revealed that Algeria's men's national soccer team has chosen Lawrence as its base camp for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The North African squad, currently ranked No. 28 in the FIFA Men's World Rankings, will train and prepare at Rock Chalk Park, a facility on the KU campus equipped with locker rooms, equipment areas, a lounge, and a training room. This marks Algeria's fifth World Cup appearance, following its last participation in 2014, where it advanced to the Round of 16.
Jason Booker, KU's deputy athletic director, expressed enthusiasm in a press release: “Kansas Athletics is thrilled with our partners in Lawrence to be a base camp selection for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Rock Chalk Park is a world-class facility that was validated by the countries that visited and in the level of interest we had in being a base camp.” He highlighted the opportunity to showcase the university, Lawrence, Douglas County, and surrounding areas.
Ruth DeWitt, external affairs and sales operations manager for Explore Lawrence, added: “We are thrilled to extend that welcome to the players, staff, family and fans of the Algerian men’s team. We all join in saying, ‘Welcome home, Algeria.’” Preparations have been underway for over 18 months, including a Unified Command structure formalized in January 2025 to coordinate logistics for visitors.
Algeria is in Group J alongside Argentina, Austria, and Jordan. Its schedule includes matches on June 16 against Argentina at 8 p.m. at Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), June 22 against Jordan at 10 p.m. at Santa Clara Stadium, and June 27 against Austria at 9 p.m. back at Kansas City Stadium. The selection completes the greater Kansas City area's four base camps, with Argentina, England, and the Netherlands also basing there. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
