In Vancouver, during the opening week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Nestory Irankunda made history as the youngest player ever to score for Australia on the global stage. The 20-year-old celebrated his goal in a 2-0 victory over Turkiye with a punch to the corner flag, a tribute to Australian icon Tim Cahill.
However, that celebration masked a far more arduous beginning: a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania, where Irankunda was born after his parents escaped the civil war in Burundi. He is not alone; two of his teammates share a similarly harrowing journey to the same pitch.
This edition of the World Cup—the largest in history with 48 nations and co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States—features at least nine players with backgrounds of displacement or refugee status. Last month, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) brought these athletes together under a campaign titled the “Gamechanging Team.”
The UNHCR reports that 117 million people are currently displaced worldwide, including nearly 49 million children. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih stated that the World Cup serves as an “ideal moment… to send a message of hope to fans all over the world.”
For these players, that message is broadcast across more than a hundred matches this summer to the largest footballing audience in history. Here are the stories of the nine players who reached the finals, and two others whose paths were shaped by displacement.
Alphonso Davies — Canada
Born in 2000 within the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana, Davies’ parents had fled the civil war in Liberia. The family eventually resettled in Edmonton, Canada, when he was five. In March 2021, Davies became the first footballer appointed as a UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador. Reflecting on his journey, he noted that while the camp provided safety, he often wonders if he would have achieved his current success had he remained there. Davies now captains Canada, one of the tournament’s three host nations.
Mohamed Toure — Australia
Toure was born in a refugee camp in Conakry, Guinea, in 2004, after his family fled a violent attack on their hometown in Liberia. After 14 years of waiting for resettlement, the family settled in Adelaide, Australia. Now a starting striker for the national team, Toure expressed that his greatest joy is the pride his father feels in seeing his son play on the world stage.
Awer Mabil — Australia
Born in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya to South Sudanese parents escaping civil war, Mabil was resettled in Adelaide at age ten. After scoring the crucial penalty that sent Australia to the 2022 World Cup, he co-founded “Barefoot to Boots,” a charity that provides football equipment to children still living in the Kakuma camp, urging them to believe that anything is possible.
Nestory Irankunda — Australia
Irankunda’s birth took place in a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania, following his parents’ flight from Burundi’s civil war. Recalling the narrow escape, Irankunda shared that his father refused to leave behind his sick daughter, ensuring the whole family survived. Describing his goal against Türkiye, he called the moment “unreal and a dream come true.”
Ermedin Demirovic — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Demirovic was born in Germany after his father fled the Balkan war in Bosnia. Despite his birthplace, he chose to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina. He expressed immense pride in representing the nation at only its second-ever World Cup appearance.
Asmir Begovic — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Begovic fled Bosnia at the age of four, moving first to Germany and then to Canada. A veteran of the 2014 World Cup, he remains a key part of the squad today. He has spoken about the resilience required during his childhood, noting that there was no room for self-pity during their journey to safety.
Antonio Rudiger — Germany
Born in Berlin, Rudiger’s mother fled the civil war in Sierra Leone in 1991. He grew up in Neukolln, a district he described as a “tough area” populated largely by refugees. Rudiger views representing Germany as a “full circle moment,” honoring his parents’ search for safety and a better future.
Ali Al-Hamadi — Iraq
Al-Hamadi was an infant when his family fled Iraq in 2003 after his father was imprisoned for peacefully protesting Saddam Hussein. Following his father’s release, the family resettled in the United Kingdom. Al-Hamadi’s inclusion in Iraq’s first World Cup squad in decades is a poignant milestone, particularly in honor of his mother’s sacrifices.
Eduardo Camavinga — France
Camavinga was born in a refugee camp in Angola after his parents fled war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Real Madrid star has expressed deep gratitude for his journey, stating he is proud to compete on the world stage as a former refugee.
Bernard Kamungo — United States
Born near a refugee camp in Tanzania after his family fled the DR Congo, Kamungo debuted for the US national team in 2024. Although he did not make the final 26-man roster for this summer’s tournament, his journey remains a testament to the resilience of displaced youth.
Victor Moses — Nigeria
Moses’ story is perhaps the most tragic of the group. At age eleven, his missionary parents were killed during religious violence in Kaduna, Nigeria. He fled to the UK alone as an unaccompanied minor and was raised by a foster family. Despite these hardships, he reached the pinnacle of the sport, winning the Premier League with Chelsea and representing Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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