Three of the FIFA World Cup 2026's most compelling stories belong not to the tournament's biggest nations, but to players who once fled everything — Nestory Irankunda, Antonio Rüdiger, and Alphonso Davies, representing Australia, Germany, and Canada respectively, each carry a profound refugee history rooted in Africa.

The BBC World Service podcast More than the Score brought these stories into sharp focus, with Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger speaking candidly about experiences few professional footballers have ever faced. Rüdiger revealed that his brother came perilously close to being conscripted as a child soldier in Sierra Leone, escaping only by hiding inside a bag of rice.

Growing up in a refugee centre

Rüdiger also opened up about his own childhood, spent in a refugee centre in Germany. That experience — of displacement, uncertainty, and starting over — now frames one of European football's most decorated defenders and a pillar of Germany's World Cup campaign.

Alphonso Davies, Canada's talismanic left back, was born in a Liberian refugee camp before his family eventually settled in Canada. Nestory Irankunda, the young Australia forward, traces his own journey of displacement before finding a home and a footballing future in Australia.

A global conversation beyond the pitch

Hosts John Bennett and Ian Williams were joined on the podcast by Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and chief executive of Global Refuge — a non-profit organisation that has partnered with the US State Department on refugee resettlement programmes. Together, they examined the structural challenges refugees encounter, and what it means for these three players to compete on the world's biggest stage.

With 48 nations competing across Mexico, the United States, and Canada, FIFA World Cup 2026 is the largest edition of the tournament in history. More than the Score argues that the competition's most resonant narratives extend far beyond goals and group standings — and the stories of Rüdiger, Davies, and Irankunda stand as powerful proof of that.

More than the Score is available on BBC World Service and wherever BBC podcasts are found.