Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Sunday, June 14, 2026, 11:33 / Updated Sunday, June 14, 2026 11:33
Australia defeated Turkey in the first leg of the 2026 World Cup with the score 2-0and the story of the first scorer, Nestor Irankunda (20 years old), went around the world.
Born in a refugee camp in Tanzania, Irankunda became Australia's youngest goalscorer at a World Cup.
Nestor Irankunda, Australia's youngest goalscorer at a World Cup
Nestor Irankunda became Australia's youngest World Cup goalscorer after opening the scoring in a 2-0 win over Turkey.
In the 27th minute, Irankunda unlocked the plate with an excellent sprint past Merih Demiral and finished off the move with a superb shot.
The Kangaroos' win was then sealed by Connor Metcalfe in the 75th minute.
The story of Nestor Irankunda
Nestor Irankunda was born in a refugee camp in Tanzania, where his family found refuge from Burundi's brutal civil war, in which an estimated 300,000 people died.
He moved with his family to Australia when he was a baby, and at the age of six followed another long-distance move, from Perth to Adelaide, 2,600 kilometers away.
In this city, Nestor started his football career and soon attracted the attention of a football giant like Bayern Munich. The Bavarians bought the young Australian for 3.5 million euros, thus becoming the most expensive player in the history of the Australian league.
The Bavarians loaned him to the Swiss team Grasshopper, and last season he was sold to the English club Watford for 3 million euros. Irankunda made 40 Championship appearances last season with 4 goals and 5 assists.
Following the season spent with the London team in the Championship, Irankunda's share rose to 8 million euros, according to the Transfermarkt website.
