Thirty years ago, Awer Mabil was born in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, a child of South Sudanese parents fleeing a brutal civil war. Today, he stands on the grandest stage in sports as a proud forward for Australia at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
The 30-year-old Mabil represents the persistence it took to prevail and get this far, given his daunting path. After moving to Australia 20 years ago at age 10 through the country's humanitarian resettlement program, he began playing organized soccer in Adelaide, South Australia. Now, it's fitting that Mabil is sharing his story during Refugee Week, with World Refugee Day on Saturday.
"It's a Refugee Week and it's a week that I would like to say to anybody that is misplaced all over the world that we are with you," he said in an article posted at Yahoo Sports. "And we are in a world stage right now, in a big tournament — and just to tell you everything is possible, so keep going."
Mabil is making contributions in many ways. He took part in a video message about diversity ahead of the World Cup that went viral. The message: "No matter where you come from, football is for everyone."
"It's a coincidence again that it's Refugee Week in the World Cup and also at the same time you have many refugees in the team. And at the same time, when I reflect back, I'm like we all belong to this world together," Mabil said. "And now we're representing Australia."
