Unity EURO Cup: Agneau's, Ismail's and Abbyta’s stories
Thursday, October 8, 2026
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For Agneau, Ismail and Abbyta, football has provided a route to friendships, skills and opportunities in their new communities. Their stories are different, but each shows how connections made on the pitch can help build a new life away from it.
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When Agneau, a Congolese refugee living in Kenya, was resettled in the Netherlands he had to start his life again.
Football provided a way forward. After joining CSV BOL, an amateur football club in the town of Broek op Langedijk, he quickly became a core part of the team and made close friends. He even finished the season as his team’s top scorer.
"I had to start from scratch, and look where I am now," he says.
Those connections have also made a difference away from the pitch. When Agneau was looking for work, his teammate Ernst helped him get started. Today, he works at a bakery while taking a Dutch integration course.
Agneau hasn’t given up his dream of playing professionally, but football has already given him far more than somewhere to play. "Football means everything to me," he says.
He will have the chance to showcase his skills at the 2026 Unity EURO Cup, joining Ismail and Abbyta as part of the 11-player Netherlands squad.
The Unity EURO Cup
The fifth edition of the Unity EURO Cup will take place on 15 October at the Italian Football Federation's technical centre in Florence. It is more than just a football tournament – it's a celebration of our sport's power to unite communities, regardless of background. Organised by UEFA in collaboration with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, teams made up of refugees and players from their host communities compete in a mixed-gender event that puts the floodlights on sport’s vital role in facilitating social inclusion.
From first touch to first team
Ismail, who arrived in the Netherlands from Sudan, first found his way to VOP football club in Amersfoort through a work placement. There, he met Ben, who helped him settle into the club and build his confidence and skills.
After catching the eye of the coaches during a football tournament, Ismail was invited to train with the first team. He is now a regular player and has also begun coaching and supporting others.
The club has given him valuable opportunities to practise Dutch through conversations with teammates, meet people and feel at home in his new surroundings.
Football has also given him respite from the stress caused by conflict in his home country and the uncertainty of living in an asylum centre.
"When I’m on the pitch, my mind is at peace," he says.
"Football brings people together. It creates a special kind of atmosphere."
Contributing to the local community
For teammate Abbyta, rediscovering football provided a way to find a community.
Originally from Ethiopia, he took up football again aged 12 after moving to the Netherlands, making lasting friendships at a local Cruyff Court. Having already studied sport and exercise, he is now pursuing a degree in social work while working full-time for the Dutch Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers.
At the reception centre where he works, Abbyta has helped set up a gym and regularly organises football tournaments, using sport to create some of the same connections that helped him find his own feet.
"Football brings people together. It creates a special kind of atmosphere," he says. "People become more active. It’s good for your mental health too. You can really see the difference it makes."
As Dutch teammate Nicole puts it: "In the end, we are all human, but sometimes there is a gap to actually meeting each other. Football, and being part of a team, can help to make that gap a lot smaller."
Ahead of the 2026 Unity EURO Cup, we are sharing the stories of refugees taking part and exploring how football has helped them build new lives