photo by: Shawn Valverde/Special to the Journal-World

People wave a giant Algerian flag at a celebration on Friday, June 26, 2026, at the Lied Center.

Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei, City Commissioner Amber Sellers and dozens of other people from Lawrence who helped welcome Algeria during the FIFA World Cup will be visiting the North African nation next week.

The city announced in a news release on Wednesday that the trip would run from Nov. 9 through 14 and would be paid for entirely by the Algerian government. Those going on the trip were invited by the Algerian embassy, and the release said they were all people who helped the city host the country’s men’s national team over the summer.

“We are deeply grateful to our Algerian hosts for their hospitality and friendship,” Finkeldei said in the release. “While not everyone who contributed to that welcome can make this journey, we carry the gratitude and goodwill of Lawrence with us.”

Finkeldei told the Journal-World on Tuesday night that nearly 40 people would be going on the trip, including not just officials from the city of Lawrence, but also from Douglas County and the University of Kansas. “City, county, KU … all over. And, again, it’s the people they invited.”

The Lawrence Police Department confirmed to the Journal-World that Lt. Dave Ernst, Lt. Mark Unruh and Detective Meghan Bardwell were all invited. Police spokeswoman Laura McCabe said that Ernst and Bardwell were planning to go but that Unruh had other commitments.

As the Journal-World has reported, there has been some discussion about a more formal partnership between Lawrence and Algeria, including a potential sister city relationship with an Algerian city. The release didn’t say anything about that specifically, but it did say that there would be “opportunities to strengthen relationships” between Lawrence and Algeria on the trip.