Fled War as Refugee Children, Now They Play at the 2026 World Cup

In the opening week of the 2026 World Cup in Vancouver, Nestory Irankunda became the youngest player to score for Australia at a World Cup. The 20-year-old celebrated his goal in a 2-0 win over Turkey by punching the corner flag, a tribute to legend Tim Cahill.

Behind that moment lies a deeper story: a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania, where Irankunda was born after his parents fled Burundi's civil war. Two of his teammates share similar backgrounds.

At the largest-ever World Cup, featuring 48 teams and co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, at least nine players carry refugee or forced-migration stories. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) brought them together in the past month under a campaign called the "Gamechanging Team."

UNHCR says 117 million people worldwide are displaced, including nearly 49 million children. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih called this World Cup "the perfect moment … to send a message of hope to fans around the world."

The players:

• Alphonso Davies (Canada): Born in 2000 at Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana, after his parents fled Liberia's civil war. His family resettled in Edmonton, Canada, when he was 5. In 2021, Davies became the first player appointed UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador. He now captains Canada, one of three host nations.
• Mohamed Toure (Australia): Born in 2004 at a refugee camp in Conakry, Guinea, after his family fled their native Liberia due to attack. They waited 14 years to resettle in Adelaide, Australia. Toure's father recalls: "Our town was attacked by a group and we had to run." Toure says: "If Dad can go to work and say 'My son played at the World Cup' … that makes me happier than me playing at the World Cup."
• Awer Mabil (Australia): Born at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, after his South Sudanese parents fled civil war. Resettled in Adelaide at age 10. Mabil scored the decisive goal that sent Australia to the 2022 World Cup and co-founded the charity Barefoot to Boots, providing soccer gear to children still at Kakuma camp. His message: "Everything is possible … so keep going."
• Nestory Irankunda (Australia): Born at Kigoma refugee camp in Tanzania, after his family fled Burundi's civil war. Recalling their escape, he told beIN Sports: "My sister was sick and they nearly had to leave her behind, but my dad couldn't do it." Of his goal against Turkey: "It is unreal and a dream come true."
• Ermedin Demirovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina): Born in Germany, where his father settled after fleeing the Balkan war. He chose to represent Bosnia rather than Germany. "It is an honour to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the nation's second World Cup," he said in a UNHCR statement.
• Asmir Begovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina): Fled Bosnia at age 4, first to Germany, then to Canada. He played at the 2014 World Cup and remains in the squad for his second World Cup. He says: "I sometimes get flashbacks sitting in a car. Nobody pitied us, and you can't pity yourself."
• Antonio Rudiger (Germany): Born in Berlin. His mother fled Sierra Leone's civil war in 1991 and settled in Neukolln, which he calls "a tough area, where most refugees grew up." Rudiger says: "My parents came to Germany from Sierra Leone seeking safety and a better future. Representing Germany is a full-circle moment."
• Ali Al-Hamadi (Iraq): Was a baby when his family fled Iraq in 2003, after his father was imprisoned for joining a peaceful protest against Saddam Hussein. When his father was released, the family escaped to England. Iraq qualified for the World Cup for the first time in nearly four decades, and Al-Hamadi made the squad.
• Eduardo Camavinga (France): Born in a refugee camp in Angola after his parents fled war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Before the 2022 Champions League final, he said: "I was born in a refugee camp in Angola after my family fled war … I am grateful to play, and proud of that, as a former refugee."
• Bernard Kamungo (USA): Born near a refugee camp in Tanzania after his family fled the DRC. He made his U.S. national team debut in 2024, but was not named to the final 26-man squad for this summer's World Cup.
• Victor Moses (Nigeria): His story is among the most harrowing. At age 11, Moses' parents, who were missionaries, were killed in religious riots in Kaduna, Nigeria. He fled to England alone and was fostered by a family. Moses won the Premier League with Chelsea and played for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup, but Nigeria did not qualify this year.

For more information, readers can find the original story at Al Jazeera.