SANTA CLARA, California, June 11 (Reuters) – Born in refugee camps to parents displaced by conflict in Africa, three players will show the changing face of Australian soccer at the World Cup and look to answer the nation’s call for goals.
Coach Tony Popovic is putting his faith in attackers Mohamed Toure and Nestory Irankunda, two young talents eyeing their first World Cup minutes in the Socceroos’ opening match against Turkey on Saturday.
At 30, Awer Mabil is the duo’s “older brother” and will be on hand to support them as a mentor at his second World Cup.
The three have a shared experience as the children of asylum seekers who rose through the footballing ranks in Australia’s sleepy state capital of Adelaide.
Dave Bernal/ISI Photos via Getty Images
Already feted among Australia’s 500,000-strong African diaspora, their chemistry may be key to Australia’s hopes of advancing through the group phase and winning a World Cup knockout match for the first time.
“It’s the country that gave us the opportunity to live,” said 22-year-old Toure.
“So I think (the World Cup) would be the best way to pay back and just do what I love at a top level.”
Toure, who plays in England’s second tier, was born in a refugee camp in Guinea after his parents fled Liberia.
Despite only having 10 caps, he has made himself Popovic’s first-choice striker after a flying start with Norwich City where he scored nine goals in 11 appearances.
He is firm friends with 20-year-old Irankunda, who drew his first breath in a Tanzanian refugee camp and also plays in England’s second tier for Watford.
Irankunda’s much-hyped signing by Bayern Munich in 2024 did not work out but the son of Burundian parents has become a fan favourite in 15 appearances for Australia with his energy and flashy goal celebrations.
Mabil’s first foray into soccer was playing with other kids at a refugee camp in Kenya where he lived until he was 10 following his family’s displacement by civil war in Sudan.
Overlooked by Popovic initially, the 38-cap forward was recalled to the Socceroos for the first time in nearly two years in March after finding form for Castellon in Spain’s second division.
“Obviously, I had a little taste in the last one (World Cup), but this one will mean extra because I think it’s not been an easy couple of years for me,” he said.
Once all-but-dominated by players with European heritage, Socceroos squads have become increasingly diverse.
Six players with African heritage ― nearly a quarter of the World Cup squad ― will hope to take the field in North America, double the amount selected for Qatar 2022.
Four grew up and played in Adelaide, an unlikely hotbed of African soccer talent.
Towering, Japan-based striker Tete Yengi, who scored on his debut in Australia’s 1-1 World Cup warmup against Switzerland, is the other member of the Adelaide cohort.
Yengi, whose brother Kusini is also a capped Socceroos forward, has South Sudanese heritage and a strong rapport with his former Adelaide United teammate Irankunda.
The Adelaide A-League club has strong links to the city’s African communities and a record of promoting raw juniors, having given Irankunda his debut at 15.
“That’s why we keep producing these hidden gems,” Deng Akoy, a South Sudanese-Australian coach for Adelaide’s youth team, told Reuters.
While Australia grants asylum to thousands of refugees every year, immigration has become a political football in the country, with populist politicians blaming it for high housing costs and social ills.
Players like Toure and Irankunda have the chance to shift the narrative at the World Cup and show the success of multiculturalism, said Akoy.
“Australian football is reflecting modern Australia. So that’s something we should all celebrate.”