Nestory Irankunda - the hero of the Australian team at the 2026 World Cup - Photo: EPA
The World Cup is for everyone, as FIFA states, and many players carry with them historical stories of war and migration.
From refugee to hero
Nestory Irankunda has become the youngest player to score for Australia at a World Cup. The 20-year-old scored the opening goal in Australia's 2-0 win over Türkiye in Group D and played a major role in helping Australia qualify for the Round of 32.
Irankunda was born in a Tanzanian refugee camp in 2006 to Burundian parents who had fled their homeland due to civil war. Irankunda was a child when they moved to Australia.
Former Australia national team coach Ange Postecoglou believes Irankunda has a bright future ahead of him, following his performances at the 2026 World Cup. He said: "Sometimes at the World Cup, just a few weeks of good performances can change your whole world . Hopefully, that will be a good start for Irankunda."
In the Australian team, two other players have similar stories to Irankunda: striker Mohamed Toure and Awer Mabil. Both grew up in refugee camps and became key players for Australia at the 2026 World Cup.
Other teams also have players who are refugees and have risen to stardom. They have made significant contributions to helping their teams advance through the group stage. The case of striker Ermedin Demirovic of the Bosnia & Herzegovina national team is a prime example.
Demirovic was born in Germany , where his father settled after fleeing Bosnia during the Balkan War. However, Demirovic chose to represent Bosnia & Herzegovina instead of Germany. Currently, the 28-year-old striker is the most expensive player in the Bosnia & Herzegovina national team, valued at €22 million by Transfermarkt.
Demirovic started all three matches for Bosnia & Herzegovina in the group stage, playing a total of 266 minutes. Although he didn't score, he played a crucial role in the team's overall style of play and made a significant contribution to helping them qualify for the next round in Group B.
The remaining players in UNHCR's "game-changing squad" include: Bernard Kamungo (USA), Alphonso Davies (Canada), Antonio Rudiger (Germany)... All the teams these refugee players played for have qualified for the Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup. This means they all still have a chance to shine.
Reflecting migration patterns
According to the list of 1,248 players submitted to FIFA for registration to participate in the FIFA World Cup in North America, 289 (23%) represent countries other than their birthplace. This trend stems from FIFA's flexible regulations regarding the selection of nationality for players of mixed ancestry and naturalized players. The proportion of players representing their country of birth has gradually decreased with each World Cup.
According to statistics from Le Parisien, France leads in the number of players participating in the World Cup, with 99 players born in the country. Of these, 23 play for the French national team, while the remaining 76 (enough to form three full teams) represent other nations. A notable example is Luka, the son of French football legend Zinedine Zidane, who was born in Marseille but plays as a goalkeeper for Algeria. Desire Doue, a player born in France, represents France, while his brother Gela Doue plays for Ivory Coast.
After France came the Netherlands (67 players), Germany (50) and England (49). Belgium and Spain each contributed 36 players. Meanwhile, the Curacao team, participating in the World Cup for the first time, had only one player born in Curacao in their 26-person squad, the remaining 25 players were all born in the Netherlands. The Qatar team brought to the tournament players from 10 different nationalities, from Africa to Europe and one South American.
Professor Gijsbert Oonk, a Dutch historian and expert on migration and identity studies at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, said this trend reflects a changing world. He stated: "Nearly 4% of the world's population lives in a country where they were not born. This number is even higher for highly skilled workers and elite athletes. It reflects migration patterns."
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tu-tre-ti-nan-den-ngoi-sao-world-cup-100260627111741511.htm
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