The 2026 FIFA World Cup officially kicked off on 11 June. For the first time in history, the tournament is being co-hosted by three countries—the United States, Canada and Mexico—and has expanded to 48 participating teams, making it the largest World Cup ever staged.
Compared with the Qatar World Cup four years ago, the tournament now features 104 matches and runs for 39 days, concluding on 19 July. Under the new format, the 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advance to a newly introduced Round of 32.
Beyond the debut appearances of several new national teams, the Australian national football team, the Socceroos, has also attracted attention. Australia opened its campaign with a 2–0 victory over European contender Türkiye. In the lead-up to the tournament, a video released by the team also generated significant discussion for its response to issues of multiculturalism and migration.
Small Nations on the Global Stage
Four nations qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals for the first time in 2026: Caribbean nation Curaçao, African island state Cape Verde, and Asian countries Uzbekistan and Jordan.
Among them, Curaçao, with a population of just over 150,000, is one of the smallest nations ever to compete at the tournament. Another debutant, Cape Verde, quickly became a global talking point after its opening match.
Often described as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, Cape Verde held tournament favourite Spain to a 0–0 draw in Atlanta on 15 June, producing one of the competition’s early surprises. The result introduced football fans worldwide to the small Atlantic island nation and demonstrated once again that population size does not necessarily determine success on the football pitch.
Cape Verde consists of ten islands and has a population of fewer than 530,000 people. Due to limited natural resources, emigration has long been a defining feature of its society, with the diaspora population significantly exceeding the number of residents at home. Facing a limited domestic talent pool, the Cape Verde Football Federation has actively searched for players overseas, reportedly even using platforms such as LinkedIn to identify potential recruits and build a global talent network.
The Significance of World Cup Expansion
Cape Verde’s story reflects the broader rationale behind the expansion of the World Cup.
When FIFA announced the expansion from 32 to 48 teams, critics argued that the quality of the tournament would decline and that the gap between strong and weak nations would widen. Others viewed the move primarily as a way for FIFA to generate more broadcasting and commercial revenue.
Yet teams like Cape Verde illustrate another perspective. They may not be title contenders, and they may not progress deep into the tournament, but they help make the World Cup feel more representative of the world itself. This may be the expansion’s most important achievement.
For decades, World Cup places were largely concentrated among a relatively small group of traditional football powers. European and South American nations consistently qualified, while many emerging football countries struggled to reach the finals due to limited allocation spots. Over time, the tournament increasingly became a competition among familiar participants.
The 48-team format changes that dynamic. More countries and players can participate, more regions can experience the excitement and benefits of the World Cup, and the tournament becomes more deserving of its name—a competition that truly belongs to the world.
An Australian Team Built on Migration Stories
Although China, Hong Kong and Taiwan failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the tournament still offers a compelling story for Chinese communities in Australia.
On 14 June, Australia played its opening group match in Vancouver. Against a highly rated Turkish side, the Socceroos secured a surprise 2–0 victory through disciplined defending and effective counter-attacking football.
Yet perhaps more significant than the result itself are the stories behind the players.
Ahead of the tournament, Football Australia released a series of videos titled Football For Everyone, featuring players discussing their birthplaces, family histories and personal journeys. The aim was to demonstrate that football belongs to everyone.
Forward Martin Boyle comes from a South Sudanese refugee family, while Mohamed Touré and Nestory Irankunda also have refugee backgrounds. Defender Miloš Degenek migrated to Australia with his family during the Balkan conflicts. Other players have family roots in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Cyprus and many other countries. Despite their diverse cultural, linguistic and personal backgrounds, they all wear the same Australian jersey.
The message is clear: while the players come from different cultures, traditions and experiences, they represent one Australia. Their stories suggest that Australia’s diversity is not a challenge to national identity but one of its defining strengths.
At a time when anti-immigration sentiment is rising across parts of Europe, North America and Australia, the national team offers a different narrative. It reminds Australians that the country has never been defined by a single culture or ethnicity. Rather, it has been shaped by generations of migrants from around the world.
The Migrant Roots of Australian Football
Australia’s multicultural national team is no coincidence. The history of football in Australia is closely tied to the country’s migration story.
Although football was introduced by British migrants in the late nineteenth century, it never enjoyed the same mainstream status as Australian Rules Football or rugby league. Instead, it flourished among migrant communities from Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere, serving as an important means of preserving cultural identity and building community networks.
Football Australia has previously described football as “the game of migrants.” For many people escaping war, persecution or instability, football clubs became places to find belonging and rebuild community ties.
Many of Australia’s oldest football clubs were established by migrant communities, including Italians, Greeks, Croatians and Macedonians. In many ways, the history of Australian football is also a history of migration, settlement and identity formation.
As Australia became increasingly multicultural, football evolved from a migrant community sport into a mainstream national pastime. Today, more than 1.4 million Australians are registered participants, making football the country’s most widely played sport, particularly among children and young families.
The current Socceroos reflect this evolution. Refugees, second-generation migrants and Australian-born children of migrants now stand together on the world stage. Their presence not only reflects Australia’s diversity but also offers young people from different backgrounds a powerful sense of possibility and belonging.
Rethinking Diversity Through the World Cup
From the expansion to 48 teams to the breakthrough performances of smaller nations, the 2026 World Cup is about more than football. It represents a broader reimagining of what a “World Cup” can be. As more countries from different regions, cultures and population sizes participate, the tournament moves closer to its original purpose: giving the world an opportunity to be seen.
At a time when anti-immigration sentiment and exclusionary rhetoric are growing in many countries, the World Cup provides a temporary but meaningful space where diversity and coexistence can be celebrated. Football may not eliminate political divisions, but it can create moments of shared identity and mutual recognition.
Australia’s victory celebrations at Melbourne’s Federation Square after defeating Türkiye demonstrated how sport can unite people across different backgrounds. The national team has become a symbol of the kind of Australia many people wish to see—confident, inclusive and shaped by diversity.
Whether through the stories of small nations like Cape Verde or the multicultural composition of the Socceroos, this World Cup offers a reminder that differences do not necessarily divide. Sometimes, when people from different backgrounds share the same stage, those differences can become the foundation for understanding, connection and a stronger sense of belonging in a shared world.