Tunisia will head into FIFA World Cup 2026 with one goal — get past the group stage.

The Eagles of Carthage were the first African nation in the history of the tournament to record a win, against Mexico back in 1978.

Since then, they have reached the Finals six more times (including 2026) and sit joint-second with Morocco for most World Cup appearances for a nation from ‘The Mother Continent.’ But each of those previous campaigns ended in disappointment for Tunisia as it could not clear the first hurdle, recording just three wins in its 18 games across all editions.

But this time, a stellar qualification campaign where it became the first team to not concede a single goal across 10 games (nine wins and one draw) is sure to inspire optimism despite being grouped with heavy-hitters Netherlands, Japan and Sweden.

Moreover, manager Sabri Lamouchi has made sweeping changes to the squad, taking fresher faces on the plane to North America. Ferjani Sassi, Ali Maaloul and Yassine Meriah, all of whom were part of the team that crashed out in the AFCON 2025 round of 16, have been left out despite having almost 300 international caps between them.

Instead, Elias Achouri (FC Copenhagen), Ali Abdi (OGC Nice), Ellyes Skhiri (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley) have been selected, with all playing in the top divisions in Europe this season. Meanwhile, Rani Khedira, brother of 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, Sami Khedira, is also part of the roster after switching allegiance to the North African nation earlier this year.

Tunisia will want to put behind its losses at the hands of Austria and Belgium in warm-up matches as it aims for a maiden knockout berth in the finals.

Player to watch out for

Hannibal Mejbri: The 23-year-old is the most recognisable name in the Tunisia roster not just for his massive flowing afro but also his association with English giant Manchester United and, more recently, with Championship-bound Burnley. Despite a disappointing season, Hannibal has the ability to switch between a playmaker on the ball and an aggressive presser off it, making him the crux of Tunisia’s midfield.

Manager

Just like Tunisia, Sabri Lamouchi will be looking to advance from the group stage for the first time, having failed to do so with an Ivory Coast side in 2014 that had the services of superstars like Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and more. Guiding Tunisia is certain to be a much tougher task for the 54-year-old, who has managed just four games ahead of the tournament, winning just one. Additionally, his gamble to revamp the squad in such little time will add more pressure on the former French international.

SQUAD

• Goalkeepers: Sabri Ben Hassan, Abdelmouhib Chamakh, Aymen Dahmene
• Defenders: Ali Abdi, Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida, Adem Arous, Dylan Bronn, Raed Chikhaoui, Moutaz Neffati, Omar Rekik, Montassar Talbi, Yan Valery
• Midfielders: Mortadha Ben Ouanes, Anis Ben Slimane, Ismael Gharbi, Rani Khedira, Hadj Mahmoud, Hannibal Mejbri, Ellyes Skhiri
• Forwards: Elias Achouri, Khalil Ayari, Firas Chaouat, Rayan Elloumi, Hazem Mastouri, Elias Saad, Sebastian Tounekti

Published on Jun 08, 2026