Hot Topic: Current Refugees at the 2022 World Cup

Awer Mabil (Australia):

In the Kenyan refugee camp of Kakuma, Mabil was born in 1995. His parents fled their house after fleeing turmoil and the Second Sudanese Civil War and are now refugees from what is now South Sudan. Mabil first began using a rolled-up sock to play football at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Mabil's innate potential led to his family's immigration to Australia in 2006. He soon began to play for Adelaide United before making his 2018 national team debut. Mabil's game-winning goal ensured Australia's participation in the 2022 World Cup. It was "the only way to thank Australia on behalf of my family," he claimed at the time.

Alphonso Davies (Canada):

In exchange for a camp in Ghana, Alphonso Davies' parents left the Liberian civil war. When Davies was five years old, the family moved to Canada. The young football player then joined a Free Footie after-school football league, which was founded to aid inner-city primary school pupils who couldn't afford registration fees and equipment or who lacked transportation to games. A week after obtaining his citizenship, in June 2017, Davies made history by playing for Canada as the country's youngest player ever. He was 16 at the time- the prolific athlete now represents Bayern Munich. Additionally, he is the first football player from Canada to serve as an ambassador for the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR). He declared earlier this year that he will give his World Cup winnings to charity.

Luka Modric (Croatia):

Luka Modric was raised with his grandparents in the Croatian town of Modric where he was born in 1985. Serb fighters slaughtered Modric's grandfather during the Croatian struggle for independence, forcing his family to leave and subsequently setting their house on fire. In the city of Zadar, Modric resided in hotels for a number of years. He practiced playing soccer in the nearby parking lots. Modric eventually won the FIFA award for Best Men's Player and played for some of the greatest teams in the globe. Modric led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup finals, and as a result, he was named the Ballon d'Or winner as the year's finest player.

Africa's Subtle Influence in the 2022 World Cup:

It's a mix of yes and no when it comes to the foreign-born players on European teams being from Africa. While some teams like France have only a few players born in Africa, other teams like Canada also have a similar trend. However, there are no players from Africa on teams like England and the USA. There are also players like Timothy Weah, the son of a Liberian president and soccer hero, who was born in the USA. Despite this, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is heavily influenced by African players and migration. Players like Kylian Mbappe from France and Aurélien Tchouaméni, both have African heritage and are top scorers in the tournament. Other players like Cody Gakpo from the Netherlands and Youssoufa Moukoko from Germany, were also born in Africa. The tournament has faced criticism for the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar but it also highlights the contributions of immigrants to the game and challenges prejudices. For example, Alphonso Davies, a player born to Liberian parents in a Ghanaian refugee camp, scored Canada's first World Cup goal and may create more milestones in the future when the World Cup is hosted by Canada, the US, and Mexico in four years.