photo by: AP Photo/Themba Hadebe

Algeria players pose ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal soccer match between Nigeria and Algeria, in Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.

Any good host knows you have to make sure the house is in order before the party begins, and the bigger the party, the more preparation required. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is no exception.

With the tournament bigger than ever — growing from 32 teams to 48 and being played across three countries — FIFA began its preparations for the party in 2018. And when Kansas City was chosen to be a host city, Lawrence leaders began working to tidy up their space to host a national team, as well.

Ruth DeWitt, the director of community relations for Explore Lawrence, said that preparations for the city to host a team began around 2022 when FIFA officials first visited Rock Chalk Park to see if the facility would meet FIFA’s standards to serve as a host site. Once that seemed like a possibility, multiple organizations came together and met biweekly to coordinate their preparations.

“It’s been quite a few years in the making,” DeWitt said.

Those efforts paid off when the Algerian National Team announced it would use the city as a base camp during the World Cup on Feb. 19, 2026, with the plan to train at Rock Chalk Park and stay at the Oread Hotel. While the organizers are excited to be welcoming the world — and Algeria in particular — to Lawrence during the tournament, their hard work as a base camp site is far from over. Local organizers told the Journal-World how they helped bring a team to Lawrence, and what they are preparing for now.

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Jason Booker, the University of Kansas’ deputy athletic director, has been involved with bringing the World Cup to the region from the jump.

Before joining KU in 2021, Booker served as the chair of the board for the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation, according to KU Athletics. Once Kansas City was named a host city, the work really began to sell Lawrence and Rock Chalk Park.

Once the wheels began turning for the base camp process, DeWitt said Explore Lawrence approached the city government in the summer of 2023 to use an “Incident Command structure,” similar to what local governments used during the COVID-19 pandemic, to coordinate the planning process.

DeWitt said after that structure was approved, groups began meeting biweekly to discuss preparations. One steering committee led the way, with subcommittees focused on six topics: safety and security; infrastructure and municipal services; transportation; housing; economic development and culture and experiences. DeWitt said when the groups held planning calls, there would often be 60 to 65 people on the call at once.

“It really is far reaching,” DeWitt said.

Booker saw the intensity of the planning, too. The topics discussed in planning sessions included special concerns for fire and medical personnel and cultural issues like how to welcome fans and ensuring that businesses are prepared. Booker said it was good to know there was a big group addressing those questions every day.

“It’s truly been amazing to see the collaboration in our community,” Booker said.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Rock Chalk Park, 100 Rock Chalk Ln., in northwest Lawrence. Jason Booker, the University of Kansas’ deputy athletic director, said that delegations scouting the site as a potential base camp were “impressed” by the facility.

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Seven countries visited Lawrence during the selection process, and that included the three other teams that selected base camps in the Kansas City region — England, the Netherlands and reigning World Cup champion Argentina.

Booker said that the general feedback about Rock Chalk Park was “overwhelmingly positive,” and many of the countries were impressed not just by the practice fields, but by the overall apparatus. Because KU hosts 16 different sports programs, they have even more capacity than some other base camps for auxiliary things, like weight training and laundry. Booker said the staff was able to answer any questions the teams had.

“All those details matter when sites get selected,” Booker said.

Much like how every national team plays with a distinct style, visiting delegations scouting out Lawrence brought their own “personalities” and priorities during the visit, DeWitt said.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

Ruth DeWitt of Explore Lawrence stands in front of the city’s World Cup logo for 2026 on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Lawrence City Hall.

DeWitt said each tour she gave was a bit different. Some were laser-focused on the training facility, with no real questions about the city or the accommodations. Other groups wanted to know more about Lawrence’s history and about KU and seemed to want to “immerse themselves,” DeWitt said.

But there are bigger concerns that teams have than the local culture. During the tour with the Austrian group, DeWitt said, she told the team they would be “welcomed and have a really good time.” The coach then turned and asked, “But will we win?”

When Algeria visited, it was a little difficult to make a deep connection because they were communicating through a translator, DeWitt said. However, she was told the visiting team “very, very much liked Lawrence.” Once the World Cup draw happened in December 2025 and Algeria had two matches in Kansas City, she started to see it as a distinct possibility that Algeria would pick Lawrence.

After the draw, the Algerian group returned to Lawrence for a visit and DeWitt was told by a FIFA liaison that they were really interested. For a while, she said they were waiting to hear the official word, but once they received it, DeWitt felt a mix of relief and excitement. She said she thought back to all the local preparation that laid the groundwork for this possibility.

“It made me think how far we had come,” DeWitt said.

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But even with a team committed, there’s still a long way to go.

Booker said entertaining teams and showing off the facilities were “natural things” that the organizers were used to. Now that they know Algeria will be coming to Lawrence, “the hard part is in front of (them).” Some of that hard work includes figuring out travel and security logistics, including how the Algerian team would get into Rock Chalk Park for training. Booker said fire and medical officials met with FIFA security teams earlier in the week and were really “getting into the weeds” of how exactly everything will function.

“The real work has just started,” Booker said.

Organizers must also think about the best ways to welcome the Algerians. For example, Booker said dietary considerations will be important for a majority-Muslim country. Organizers will have to find ways of communicating to visitors where they can find food that’s been prepared in accordance with Islam’s halal dietary rules.

DeWitt said the organizers are fortunate to have the international resources and experts from KU, and the International Affairs and African Studies departments have both “tapped in” to share their knowledge with the team. She also said a big focus right now is preparing cultural training for hospitality workers to welcome the fans.

Previous estimates from FIFA suggest that 600,000 fans will visit the Kansas City region during the World Cup this summer, but hosting a base camp could bring an additional 15,000 fans to visit the city. DeWitt said planning for welcoming large numbers of international fans have been well underway.

Lawrence is one of 15 locations across the region that will have a direct connection to downtown Kansas City through daily bus routes, and DeWitt said that Explore Lawrence is marketing day trip opportunities for visitors staying in the region. Some of that work includes creating “specialized itineraries” based on different interests, like music, food or other sports.

DeWitt said festivals that go on during the summer have planned to “boost things” for the World Cup, and Explore Lawrence is also preparing to host some watch parties for some of the World Cup matches.

Although there is still much to be done, DeWitt said it has been heartening to see the excitement that Lawrence will be hosting Algeria. She said in response to the social media announcement, comments flooded in from Algerians from “all over the world,” including fans from France, Italy and even one person from Texas who said “As an Algerian living in Texas, you (Algerians) are about to meet the most lovely people in all the United States.”

DeWitt said she expects that many Algerian-Americans could come and visit along with international fans, and it may be a real melting pot coming to the region. Between the four teams staying in the region and local fans, she said, there will be people across four continents all in one place. Although additional preparation is starting, DeWitt is excited that Lawrence will be a part of the biggest party in the world.

“I think it’s going to be a great summer for sure,” DeWitt said. “We are going to be welcoming people from all over the world.”