This ongoing study uses an illustrative comparative design to investigate the experiences of refugee youth in two different sports programs (one in the US and one in Sweden) designed to aid in their acculturation. Both the Swedish and US data collection followed an interpretative paradigm and used a phenomenological methodology to understand the participants’ experiences in the sports programs. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with eight former program participants in the US and with seventeen youth from refugee backgrounds participating in Swedish sports clubs. The theoretical approach employed in the study followed the concepts of the new social studies of childhood. This means after listening to the young refugees’ personal experiences, we considered them in relation to the design of the programs. The preliminary results show that refugees in both programs expressed positive outcomes that are consistent with those found in previous research: feeling happy, supports-related physical health and mental wellbeing, socializing with peers, and learning the language in a new country. Regardless of the program, the youth perceived similar benefits, even though the refugees in Sweden participated in mainstream sports clubs that were not specifically tailored to acculturation outcomes and also lacked appropriate staff and resources. However, the comparison indicates that sports are not automatically a universal language and can be problematic for acculturation. Both the Swedish and US data show cultural barriers were linked to sports practice in the new country.