Algeria loses to Argentina, but gains supporters in Kansas
Argentina won 3-0 over Algeria during the football group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 16th. According to Africanews, the Argentinian coach called 39-year-old athlete Lionel Messi and Argentina’s captain “amazing”, while his teammates highlighted Messi’s commitment to the team.
Algeria finishes at the bottom of group J behind Jordan and Austria. While the match was appreciated by supporters, particularly Argentinians and Algerians who came all the way to Kansas City to watch it, a refereeing issue arose when Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was accused of not sanctioning Messi for a foul on Algerian player Mandi.
During an interview given to ESPN, Manchester City player Nedum Onuoha told the journalists that this should have been a red card for Messi. Coach Petkovic added that there was no need to comment on a situation like that now, even if he also agreed Messi’s movement was a foul.
On another note, Algeria’s start at the World Cup took a somewhat unexpected turn as the Algerian players and supporters located in Kansas City have notably befriended and got Kansans supporting Algeria.
According to The Observer, the relationship between the national team and locals has blossomed, particularly in the college town of Lawrence, where the team is staying and training during the World Cup.
As the Kansas University band performed the Algerian national anthem, social media has shown overwhelming support for the Algerian team coming from Kansas as a whole. Honoured that the Fennecs are staying in Kansas, many townpeople have chanted Algerian football chants, the mayor wore Algerian merchandise, while The Observer also states Algerian flags are present on the porch of many different houses across the town.
This friendship was somewhat unexpected, Kansas having voted for its last democratic candidate in 1964, and Algeria being a Muslim-majority nation in an America that sometimes carries some misconceptions about Islam. 6 months before the tournament, President Trump added Algeria to the list of “restricted nations”, leading to fans having to pay a 15 000 bond to attend the international competition.
Regardless, many residents of Kansas are glad to see the Algerian team celebrated, as Ruth DeWitt, one of the community leaders of the town of Lawrence, puts it this is ‘the love story everyone wants”.
The Observer, Africanews, Maghrebi.org,
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