Teen star Nestor Irankunda makes World Cup history for Australia

Nestor Irankunda entered Australian football history on Sunday morning, scoring the opening goal against Turkey in the first round of Group D at the 2026 World Cup. At 20 years and 124 days old, he became Australia’s youngest-ever scorer at a World Cup, and he did it in his tournament debut.

Irankunda, who plays for Watford, arrived at the tournament after a season in which he scored four goals and added five assists in 42 appearances in all competitions. Even before his World Cup breakthrough, he had already set several notable marks, including becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in Australia’s top flight, the youngest to reach 50 appearances in the Australian league, and at one point the league’s teenage scoring record-holder.

His goal against Turkey moved him to the top of Australia’s list of youngest World Cup scorers. The previous record belonged to Brett Holman, who scored against Ghana at the 2010 World Cup at 26 years and 90 days. He was followed by Tim Cahill, who scored against Japan in 2006 at 26 years and 195 days, Harry Kewell, who scored against Croatia in that same tournament at 27 years and 280 days, and Mile Jedinak, who scored against the Netherlands in 2014 at 29 years and 326 days.

After scoring, Irankunda celebrated near the corner flag with Tim Cahill’s trademark fist-pump, in tribute to one of Australia’s greatest players. He was born on 9 February 2006 in a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania, after his parents fled Burundi during the civil war. The family later settled in Australia, and although he was eligible to represent Tanzania and Burundi as well, he chose Australia. He began his professional career at Adelaide United, where he scored 16 goals and produced eight assists in 61 matches, before Bayern Munich bought him on 14 November 2023 for a club-record fee of 2.85 million pounds, about 5.5 million Australian dollars. The move took effect on 1 July 2024, but he did not appear for Bayern’s senior team, spent half a season on loan at Grasshoppers in Switzerland, and then joined Watford after returning.