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AFC Asian Cup
Born in a Tanzanian refugee camp to Burundian parents fleeing civil war in their homeland, Irankunda moved to Australia when he was three months old and started his journey towards the summit of the game at Adelaide United’s academy.
Factfile
Age: 20
Caps: 20
Goals: 7
Club: Sporting CP (POR)
Age: 20
Caps: 20
Goals: 7
Club: Sporting CP (POR)
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By the time he was called up to an A-Leagues All-Star side to face Barcelona in May 2022, 15-year-old Irankunda had already become the second youngest scorer in A-League history – behind current Australia team mate Mo Toure.
But it was against the Spanish giants that he first came to wider prominence.
Now 16, his impressive cameo against some of the most recognisable names in world football saw the hype machine crank into action and before long Irankunda was being linked with a move to Europe as well as a place in the national team.
Both would eventually come, although Irankunda had to wait.
TriviaAustralia have failed to score in just five of their 26 AFC Asian Cup games, the fewest by any side to play 15+ games in the competition. They scored in each of their five games in the 2023 edition, last failing to score in the 2019 quarter-finals (0-1 vs UAE).
In November 2023, Adelaide United announced that Irankunda would be joining Bundesliga behemoths Bayern Munich at the end of that A-League season and, in June of the following year, he made the move to Germany.
That switch coincided with his debut for Australia after Graham Arnold included the 18-year-old in his squad to face Bangladesh in the second round of Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Five days later Irankunda scored against Palestine to become the second youngest player to net for the Socceroos behind Duncan Cummings, who set the record in 1975.
Irankunda’s continued development saw him included by Tony Popovic in the squad that represented Australia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals, scoring his nation’s opening goal of the tournament in a 2-0 win over Turkey with a trademark run and clinical finish into the corner.
By this stage the flying winger had moved to Watford from Bayern Munich, and playing regularly in English football’s second tier was fast-tracking his development.
His performances at the FIFA World Cup caught the eye of scouts from Sporting CP in Portugal and, in August, he signed a five-year contract with the Lisbon-based outfit.
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Irankunda has since continued to shine, hitting a sensational free-kick against Brazil in a friendly in Brisbane in September as the Socceroos drew 1-1 with the South Americans, the strike prompting him to perform a spectacular somersault celebration.
That could well become a familiar sight at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ as Popovic and the Socceroos look to deliver on the youthful promise of an ever-improving squad to win the country’s first continental title since 2015.
