Two UMKC international students will get a rare and powerful connection to home this summer, as Kansas City hosts the FIFA World Cup and Team Algeria takes the field just miles away from campus.

For Lyza Iamrache and Said Tabharit, both Ph.D. students in statistics, the 2026 World Cup is more than a global sporting event. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment where their academic journeys and national pride intersect.

“I never expected in my life to attend a World Cup, and then to have Algeria come here to Kansas City,” Tabharit said. “This is really exciting.”

Both students began their journeys in Algiers, Algeria, at the University of Science and Technology, but their paths didn’t cross until they were recruited to UMKC. Professor Kamel Rekab, Ph.D., sought out talented students with strong mathematics backgrounds and reached out directly to universities in Algeria.

“When I was looking for good graduate students, I contacted the University of Science and Technology in Algeria,” Rekab said. “Both of them are very hardworking.”

Though they didn’t know each other before applying, Iamrache and Tabharit connected during the admissions process. Iamrache arrived in Kansas City first in Fall 2023, navigating a new country, culture and academic system on her own.

“It was hard at the beginning,” she said. “The system in Algeria is very different.”

So when Tabharit arrived the following semester, his presence meant more than just a familiar name.

“I was missing Algeria,” Iamrache said. “Then he came. I was so happy he was here!”

Together, they built community, both with each other and beyond. Rekab helped introduce them to a small, but close-knit, Algerian network in Kansas City, where they gather for barbecues, soccer and shared traditions.

“It’s not a big community, but we have each other,” Tabharit said.

At UMKC, both students have excelled academically. Iamrache is the first author on a published journal article focused on estimating the risk of epidemic spread, while Tabharit is a co-author on similar work, an achievement Rekab highlights as exceptional for early-career researchers.

“That’s a very good result,” Rekab said.

Outside of the classroom, they’ve embraced Kansas City. Iamrache spends weekends exploring museums and local attractions, and both are fans of the parks in the area.

“I love the city,” Tabharit said. “It’s quiet, people are friendly, you feel welcomed. It’s an amazing city.”

That balance between global diversity and Midwestern hospitality is part of what makes this World Cup moment so meaningful. Both students are eager to share their culture with American friends and visitors who may not know much about Algeria.

“I don’t think Americans know a lot about Algeria,” Tabharit said. “This is an opportunity to share our culture.”
Iamrache is already making plans. A lifelong soccer fan who dreamed of going to a World Cup, Iamrache could have never guessed she’d get to see her home country compete in her college town. But she scored a ticket to see Algeria face Austria, a matchup that carries historic weight.

In 1982, a controversial match between Austria and West Germany eliminated Algeria from the World Cup. Now, decades later, the Algerians will come head-to-head with one of the teams that denied them their shot all those decades ago.

“It’s like a revenge game,” Rekab said, who is also going to the match.

Even for matches they won’t attend in person, the students plan to join watch parties, fan festivals and gatherings with friends from across the U.S. and beyond. Iamrache has already connected with fellow fans traveling from Chicago and Ohio, many of whom she met through online groups.

“There are a lot of Algerians coming,” she said.

For Iamrache, Tabharit and Rekab, the World Cup represents something far larger than soccer. It’s about connection to home, to each other and to a global community converging in the place they now call their second home.

“They’re going to wake up at 2 a.m. in Algeria to watch these games,” Rekab said.

And here in Kansas City, thousands of miles away, two UMKC students will be cheering alongside them with Team Algeria’s team chant, “One, two, three — Viva l’Algérie!”