Tunisia heads into the 2026 World Cup hoping for more giant killing after a historical qualifying campaign. Their fabulous showing in stunning France in the previous edition and almost making it into the knockout stage for the first time is still alive in the memories of the nation as they look to build on that. Head coach Sabri Lamouchi has called up a fresh squad for the tournament with interesting additions and also some surprise exclusions as the Eagles of Carthage chase history. Their solidity will be tested in a difficult group with European heavyweights Netherlands and Sweden and Asian giants Japan with the matches held in two of the three host nations, Mexico and the USA.
Tunisia FIFA World Cup History
Tunisia will participate in their seventh World Cup this summer while this is their third straight appearance at the competition for the first time in their history, indicating their growing consistency of making it to the global stage. The side debuted in the contest back in the 1978 edition hosted in Argentina and they created more history there rather than just qualifying for the tournament. Tunisia became the first African and Arabian nation to win a World Cup game in their first ever game at the competition as they stunned Mexico 3-1. However, they suffered losses in the remaining games to bow out of the group stages, the same fate they have faced in all of their World Cup appearances so far. They came agonisingly close to break that streak in Qatar in 2022 when they defeated France in the final group game with their iconic striker Wahbi Khazri scoring the memorable goal for the 1-0 victory. Their goalless draw against Denmark and the defeat to Australia prior to the victory against Les Blues means they didn't gather enough points to finish in the top two to progress to the knockout stage. A look at Tunisia FIFA World Cup Records and Stats
Tunisia Qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026
The Eagles of Carthage reached an unprecedented milestone in their qualifying campaign. They became the first nation in history to qualify for the World Cup without conceding a single goal. It is truly a remarkable achievement considering even the best international teams have not managed the feat before. Lamouchi's men also finished top of their group unbeaten, securing nine wins from 10 games and scoring 22 goals. They finished a whooping 13 points ahead of second placed Namibia showing their unreal supremacy. The clean sheets were shared between two keepers that guarded the net in the qualifiers. Number one Aymen Dahmen kept a clean sheet in all six games he played in the qualifiers with Bechir Ben Said making it spotless four times. The team also didn't depend on a single goal-scorer to do the goods at the other end with Ali Ben Romdhane getting the most shares with four strikes to his name.
Tunisia Form and Preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2026
After securing qualification to the finals as early as September 2025 with the qualifier wrapped up a month later, Tunisia scheduled a series of friendlies. One of which came against Brazil in a game they secured a historic result by drawing 1-1, having also taken the lead. The team then participated in the FIFA Arab Cup where they just missed out on knockout football but the real test was in Africa Cup of Nations started at the end of December last year. Lamouchi's men finished second in a group that contained Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, winning, drawing and losing games a piece while their qualifying solidify was absent as they conceded five goals despite scoring six. That lined them up with a Round of 16 tie against Mali. Despite locking them up in a 1-1 draw, Tunisia was ultimately disappointed as they were eliminated on penalties. However, they are entering the World Cup with fine form having suffered just three losses in a year. They will want to keep the form intact when they face the European pairs Austria and Belgium in the pre-tournament friendlies in June 2026.
Tunisia Squad for FIFA World Cup 2026
Goalkeepers: Aymen Dahmen (CS Sfaxien), Sabri Ben Hassine(Étoile du Sahel), Mohib Al-Shamikhi (Club Africain)
Defenders: Montassar Talbi (Lorient), Dylan Bronn (Servette), Omar Rekik (Maribor), Yan Valery (Young Boys), Ali Abdi (Nice), Moataz Nafati (IFK Norrköping), Raed Sheikhawi (US Monastir) Adem Arous (Kasimpasa)
Midfielders: Ellyes Skhiri (Eintracht Frankfurt), Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley),
Amine Ben Hamida (Espérance de Tunis), Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich City), Mohamed Haj Mahmoud (Lugano), Rani Khedira (Union Berlin), Mortadha Ben Ouanes (Kasimpasa)
Forwards: Elias Achouri (Copenhagen), Ismael Gharbi (FC Augsburg), Elyes Saad (Hannover 96), Sebastian Tounekti (Celtic), Firas Chaouat (Club Africain), Khalil Ayari (PSG), Hazem Mestouri (Dynamo Makhachkala), Rayan Loumi (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Head Coach: Sabri Lamouchi
The headlining addition to Tunisia's roster for the World Cup is of Union Berlin midfielder Rani Khedira. The 32-year-old agreed to represent the African nation back in March and also featured from the start in the two friendlies against Haiti and one of the 2026 host nation, Canada that month. He drew enough impression in just short period of time to be make the cut in the World Cup squad after already gaining reputation with his consistent display at the club level. He will now make his competative debut in North America.
Midfielder Anis Ben Slimane, who appeared in two matches at Qatar 2022, also returned to the squad after spending much of 2025 sidelined due to injuries, setbacks that also kept him out of action with Norwich City. There are several players included who were not part of the AFCON roster but also those who were the new faces in the tournament. Among the suprise omission are Ferjani Sassi, Nabil Maaloul and Yassine Meriah, who were senior figures at the squad while Naim Sliti announced his retirement from the national team. The top scorer in the qualifiers, Ali Romdhane is also not part of the roster either. It is an indication that Lamouchi is looking for more freshness to his squad with as much as nine players having less than five caps under their belt. Among them, defender Raed Chikhaoui will hope to earn his first in the grandest stage of all.
Strengths of Tunisia Football Team
Undoubtedly, Tunisia's strength lies in their solidity with the team built on the foundation of keeping it tight and not letting opposition overwhelm them. Their qualifying journey is the testament of their philosophy. Even if games they have failed to keep a clean sheet, they have hardly conceded more than once or two at best. The only time they leaked more than two goals in three years was against Nigeria in the AFCON but even then they made it a close fight, losing 3-2. Losing has also become a rare sight for this team as they make it very hard for the opposition to break them down. Tunisia also have tournament experience in store none more than the nation's renowned midfielder Ellyes Skhiri who is now appearing for his third tournament. Even though the team is defensive minded, they still possess players like Hannibal Mejbri and Ismael Gharbi who will bring creativity to the team. That makes the midfield the strongest position for the side with a mix of solidity and progression.
Weaknesses of Tunisia Football Team
Relying too much on defensive football lowers the attacking goal for the Eagles of Carthage which is a major issue especially in a platform like this. Even though Lamouchi's men scored plenty in the qualifiers it came against lowly ranked opponents. When the tournament football hit, like the AFCON, they failed to get a consistent number of goals aside from that Nigeria game. Although this team is capable of doing better than just a one goal show in the last tournament, their attacking output is still less. In the recent friendlies, they only managed to beat Haiti 1-0 with their stalemate against Canada being their first goalless game in two years. Tunisia also lacks a proper number nine after the void left by Khazri not adequately filled up. Their main striker Hazem Mastouri has scored just twice for his club this season and has scored just twice in his last 10 appearances for the national team. The lack of game changers for the squad other than Mejri is noticeable.
Key player: Ellyes Skhiri
Ellyes Skhiri is arguably the player Tunisia will rely on to maintain the balance and defensive solidity in the side with his leadership, experience and no nonsense attribute set to help the team on the big stage. The midfield lynchpin will be a crucial figure in protecting the backline against vicious opposition counters with his elite ball recovery and interceptions. His presence is even more vital considering the level of challenge Tunisia are going to face in their group. Because of Skhiri's attributes, it will allow Mejri or Gharmi to push forward and focus on their game of creativity. Not only that, the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder also boasts a fantastic passing efficiency which means the side can rely upon him to unlock opportunities as a deep lying operator and maintain some possession whenever the side feels too. Moreover, his experience in several World Cups will benefit the team as he will bring a calming presence in tough situations and let others thrive from it.
How will Tunisia Lineup at the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Tunisia Group F Fixtures and Opposition in FIFA World Cup 2026
Monday, 15 June 2026
Sweden vs Tunisia - Estadio BBVA, Monterrey (07:30)
Sunday, 21 June 2026
Tunisia v Japan - Estadio BBVA, Monterrey (09:30)
Friday, 26 June 2026
Tunisia vs Netherlands - Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City (04:30)
Tunisia FIFA World Cup 2026 Prediction
Tunisia know even with their unreal solidity and pulling big results like drawing against Brazil, it will be an uphill struggle in the World Cup placed in a challenging group. While the team is little more talented than the last one and have the right age in the squad mixed with tournament experience, the lack of attacking threat is a real concern which will be detrimental to their survival in the competition. Also, it is hosted far away from home with no advantage of it being played on the Arabian soil anymore and strict immigration policies means the side could be devoid of the large fan support they enjoyed in the previous tournament. Although they can use the extreme heat condition to add more frustration to the opposition if they don't give in. In all, the three teams they will face contain lethal firepower and immense quality with plenty of difference makers. It will be hard to hold them down for large swaths of game even though they will make it very tight. Hence, Tunisia have to wait for at least another edition to make their dream of qualifying to the knockouts come true. Even if the slots have increased it will take a huge performance out of them to escape this group.
