In Vancouver, during the opening week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Nestory Irankunda became the youngest player to score for Australia at a World Cup. The 20-year-old celebrated the 2-0 victory against Turkey by punching the corner flag, a tribute to Australian great Tim Cahill.

Irankunda was born in a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania, after his parents fled Burundi's civil war. Two of his teammates share a similar background. Across the largest World Cup ever staged with 48 nations, hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, at least nine players carry a refugee or displacement story.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says 117 million people are displaced worldwide, including almost 49 million children. UNHCR brought these players together under a campaign called the Gamechanging Team. High Commissioner Barham Salih called the World Cup "an ideal moment to send a message of hope to fans all over the world."

Alphonso Davies, captain of Canada, was born in Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. He became the first footballer named a UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador in 2021. Mohamed Toure, Australia's striker, was born in a camp in Conakry, Guinea. Awer Mabil, born in Kakuma camp in Kenya, co-founded the charity Barefoot to Boots.

Other players include Ermedin Demirovic and Asmir Begovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Antonio Rudiger (Germany), Ali Al-Hamadi (Iraq), Eduardo Camavinga (France), and Bernard Kamungo (USA). The heaviest story belongs to Victor Moses: his missionary parents were killed in religious violence in Nigeria, and he fled to the UK alone as an unaccompanied child.

Source: www.aljazeera.com