Algeria ConnectionTop story
38 Lawrence residents are headed to Algeria on an expense-paid trip
The Algeria trip by the numbers
- 38
- Lawrence residents on the trip
- 6
- KU students going
- 2 weeks
- of notice before the trip
- 500 to 600
- fans outside the team's hotel the first evening
Sources: KCTV, Kansas City Star
Thirty-eight Lawrence residents are headed to Algeria on an expense-paid trip, a thank-you after the national team made Rock Chalk Park its World Cup base camp. They board a plane Mon., Nov. 9, and are in Algeria through Sat., Nov. 14.
The invitations came as letters from the Algerian Embassy to city leaders, local businesses, community members, students and KU faculty. Many people thought they were a scam, and Mayor Brad Finkeldei said they came as a shock.
“I mean, for everyone, it’s a trip of a lifetime.”
Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei
- Covered: flights, hotels and excursions
- Going: Christopher Johnson, KU's interim dean of music, and Explore Lawrence's Ruth DeWitt
- Also going: officials from Douglas County, KU and Lawrence police
The Lawrence group will be in Algeria Nov. 9 to Nov. 14
November 2026
- In Algeria
The group will be in Algeria from Nov. 9 to Nov. 14.
Sources: KCTV, Kansas City Star
View as table
| Days | |
|---|---|
| In Algeria | Nov. 9–14 |
The trip honors many welcomes, including the KU band students who learned the Algerian national anthem for the team's first practice. Johnson said he's grateful the team noticed. Coach Vladimir Petković said the crowd that first evening "really gave me goosebumps."
