Arriving at the Port of Algiers is a strange sensation. As the 930-guest cruise ship Viking Saturn sails in, a tangerine sunrise reveals boulevards of white-stone, 19th century French colonial buildings leading to the vast Ottoman-built Casbah.It’s as though we have moored in Paris-by-Sea, but with an Arabian twist.There is excitement in the air in Algeria’s capital. After a 12-year absence, the former French colony (independent since 1962) has qualified again for the World Cup and the country is in an even greater state of football fever than usual. For Algeria has won the Africa Cup of Nations twice, the last time in 2019, and locals are enthralled by the beautiful game.On the zig-zag road up to the Notre-Dame de Africa Catholic Church every bare wall is graffitied with support for the city’s four football teams. From the church steps on a visit during our excursion, you could see right into USM Alger’s stadium, Stade Omar Hamadi, on the Bay of Algiers’ waterfront. Football support – and evidence of the game – seemed everywhere. Notre-Dame de Africa Catholic Church - an Algerian beauty at the end of a graffiti-filled walk Football mad: Algeria made it the the World Cup finals for the first time in three touramentsFootball fever is rife - and you can see USM Alger’s stadium, Stade Omar Hamadi. Algeria qualified for the World Cup, after a 12-year absenceThe city makes a fascinating port of call, and it’s been making headlines of late for other reasons.Pope Leo XIV visited in spring, giving a stirring address stressing religious unity at Notre-Dame. The church serves as a symbol of religious tolerance in this predominantly Muslim country, and inside reads the inscription ‘Our Lady of Africa, pray for us and for the Muslims’ amid dazzling blue mosaics.It’s Ramadan during our visit, however, and our Viking guide Salim explains the streets are quiet as people are fasting between sunrise and sunset.Our group moves on to the 210ft Martyrs’ Monument, built to honour those who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of their country. I ask Salim why tourism has been so slow to take off in Algeria – it’s the biggest country in Africa, with a 1,000-mile Mediterranean coastline, after all. Admittedly, much of the landmass comprises the Sahara Desert, around 80 per cent, with many inaccessible, rugged mountains too. North Africa’s largest botanical garden, Jardin d’Essai du HammaAlgiers, according to Lesley, feels like Paris - and the architecture backs this up. Right: Lesley explores La Grande Poste, a blend of Moorish and French architectureSalim replies: ‘We have got huge natural resources, exporting petroleum and natural gas, which make up 25 per cent of our GDP. We also have fertile land, growing figs and dates, olive oil, citrus and vegetables for export.’ Tourism is simply low down the priority list as far as the country’s economy is concerned.Meanwhile, for overseas visitors there’s another issue: visas cost £85 and can take a couple of months to process. For passengers on Viking, however, this is not a concern as the cruise line takes care of this and absorbs the cost. Viking is the only cruise line with regular sailings into Algiers - with many planned for next yearViking is the only cruise company regularly sailing into Algiers, with 18 voyages planned in 2027, and many more off-season October-to-April cruises to avoid the summer heat. During our cruise director’s nightly lecture in the plush theatre he confirms all tours in Algiers will have a police escort, ‘not because it’s dangerous but because the government is committed to make sure we have a positive experience’.The excursions are sold out on this quiet season ‘Malta, Morocco and the Mediterranean’ cruise, with trips to the Casbah as well as home visits in the Medina, where passengers are welcomed by families serving dates, biscuits and sweet mint tea. Arab-Islamic architecture is at its best in the Casbah in AlgiersI opt to see North Africa’s largest botanical garden, Jardin d’Essai du Hamma. Avenues of dragon trees give shade in this century-old park that once housed a zoo with exotic animals. The closest I get to exotic is the ‘Tarzan tree’, a ficus macrophylla, with huge buttress and hanging roots that featured in the opening of the film Tarzan The Ape Man, starring Johnny Weissmuller in 1932. TRAVEL FACTSA 16-day ‘Malta, Morocco and the Mediterranean’ cruise on January 13, 2027, is from £5,895pp including a free shore tour in each port, return flights, wi-fi and tips plus wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner (viking.com). We stop off on our return to the ship to admire La Grande Poste, all turrets and neo-Moorish arches, built by the French in 1910. Grand indeed it is, although the interior is closed on our visit as the museum of post and telecommunications is still being completed.The blend of Berber, Arabic and French heritage in Algiers is alluring. It’s won me over. But will Algeria win the World Cup? Well, the country has had one winner of sorts already. The parents of Zinedine Zidane, who went on to lead France to victory in 1998, left a Berber-speaking village in Algeria before the start of the 1954-1962 War of Independence. And Zinedine’s son Luca is, in fact, Algeria’s goalkeeper. Game on!