As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase. You can read the articles in one place here.‘1, 2, 3, viva l’Algerie’ — ‘1, 2, 3, long live Algeria’.If you have ever encountered Algeria’s national football team, you must have heard their fans’ unique chant.The story behind its origin has many versions, but the most common is that it comes from the time when the North African nation was seeking independence from France, before eventually winning it in 1962.“They were in (capital city) Algiers’ port, and a USA ship was passing,” says Ihab Fridj, a 29-year-old graphic designer and Algeria supporter.“The people wanted to tell the ship, ‘1, 2, 3, free Algerie’ because this was during the French occupation, but the USA ship thought it was ‘1, 2, 3, viva l’Algerie’. Since then, and after independence, it has become ‘1, 2, 3, viva l’Algerie’.”Another theory is that it originated from “We want to be free, viva l’Algerie”, and the first part later became “1, 2, 3…”Football and Algeria’s past are interlinked.The origin of the side about to compete in the World Cup finals lies in the National Liberation Front, which was the main nationalist movement during the Algerian War of Independence in the 1950s and early ’60s.“Supporting the national team is related to the history of Algeria,” says Amine Kabbes, a 38-year-old film director. “We have a desire to be in the world because, before 1962, we didn’t exist. With football, we can exist and prove we are here. For me, every victory is an opportunity for the world to write about Algeria.”This is best illustrated in Algerians’ commitment to taking their flag to every game they go to, even those abroad that have nothing to do with their team.“The thing that we are known for is that whatever match you watch, you’ll find an Algerian flag,” says Fridj.“When you see a match in Copa America or the Champions League, you can spot a supporter with an Algerian flag — it’s weird,” Kabbes tells The Athletic. “I can’t remember this phenomenon in the 1990s, but since the turn of the millennium, we have been seeing people on TV with Algerian flags.”Algeria fans show their support for the team during a qualifier for the 2022 World Cup (AFP via Getty Images)“Algerian fans will push the limit to show they are here and ready to support their team,” says Mohamed Benhassir, who goes on to explain how significant this sport is to the country’s population: “It’s their oxygen. It’ll always be their oxygen, either the national team or domestic football. The majority of the population’s source of happiness is football.”It’s why Kabbes has memories of Algeria winning the first of their two Africa Cup of Nations titles in 1990 — despite being only three years old at the time.