Tunisia 2026 World Cup Preview: Overlooked But Won’t Go Down Without a Fight

Of all the African nations to have competed at five or more World Cups—2026 marks Tunisia’s seventh global appearance—the Eagles of Carthage are the only one never to progress beyond the group stage.

It will play twice in Mexico first—against Sweden and Japan—before heading up to Kansas City to take on the Netherlands.

The new format opens the knockout phase up to more teams, but with its lack of star power and coming in as the lowest-ranked team in Group F, Tunisia has a real battle on its hands.

The Road to the World Cup

• Qualification record: 9W-0L-1D
• Goals for / against: 22 / 0
• Top scorer: Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (4)
• Assist leader: Ali Abdi, Naïm Sliti (3)

Nine wins from 10 matches and zero goals conceded was a comprehensive way to punch a ticket to the tournament.

The defensive foundations were solid, shutting out every opponent, which paved the way for a lot of late goals to deliver the crucial wins—four of Tunisia’s qualifying victories were only decided in the final 10 minutes, often by penalties. It highlights resilience, but also a lack of front-foot penetration.

World Cup Schedule

Manager: Sabri Lamouchi

• World Cup experience: Côte d’Ivoire (2014)
• Time in charge of the team: Since January 2026
• Manager meter: Attention to detail

Appointed shortly after Tunisia’s disappointing round of 16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Sabri Lamouchi is an experienced manager; however, this is his first international job in 12 years. His appointment at the start of the year was something of a full circle moment, born in France but a Tunisian citizen through his parents. He never played nor coached in the country until now.

How Tunisia Plays

• Preferred formation(s): 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1
• Style: Defensive, counterattack
• Key strengths: Organization, set pieces
• Key weaknesses: Creativity, scoring goals

As a continental heavyweight, African qualifying is not a true reflection of how Tunisia approach matches on a big stage. Technically proficient opponents can expect to have the lion’s share of the ball, with the onus on them to then find a way through.

Tunisia won’t necessarily press high to win the ball back but will attempt to squeeze any spaces the opposition wants to play in and defend its own penalty area. Getting ahead against it is key because there isn’t a great deal of attacking power it can hit back with.

Ones to Watch

X-Factor: Tunisia will look to tricky winger Elias Achouri, whose first two-and-a-half years with FC Copenhagen in Denmark yielded 37 goals and assists, for creativity. Fast, powerful and comfortable with both feet, this will be his first taste of a World Cup.

Breakout Star: What Ismaël Gharbi lacks in height (5' 8") he more than makes up for in dribbling and precise, incisive passing. This graduate of Paris Saint-Germain’s academy also has a point to prove to current employers Braga, who loaned him out for the 2025–26 season.

Tunisia’s Predicted Starting XI

Lamouchi somewhat confused things in March, making his first selection since taking the job and omitting a number of high-profile names to the surprise of fans. Others were called up for the first time in the interest of seeing where fresh blood might be injected into the team.

It doesn’t mean the likes of Ferjani Sassi or Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane will miss out on the World Cup, but there are no guarantees. “I hope [Sassi] will be ready for the World Cup. [But] I will put the final list in a way that serves the interests of the national team,” Lamouchi told reporters at the time.

Injuries kept Hannibal Mejbri, Yan Valery and Dylan Bronn out of the March fixtures, while Montassar Talbi was left out at his own request for personal reasons.

Current Form

Following the disappointment of a round of 16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations—they were a Mali stoppage-time penalty away from the quarterfinals, before extra time and then a shootout defeat—the Eagles of Carthage had a positive but ultimately limited March international break.

It was an experimental team from Lamouchi that started against Haiti in Toronto and an early goal from Sebastian Tounetki, once a fringe player, secured a narrow win. The Celtic winger did his chance of making the World Cup starting XI no harm. Fast forward a few days to a test against Canada and two things were apparent: Tunisia defended well but couldn’t score or even create. It finished 0–0.

What We Can Expect From Tunisia Fans

Red and white is the order of the day, some like to don traditional headwear, although matchday costumes aren’t generally as extravagant as some other African nations. Tunisian club soccer is known for its ultra culture and that carries over to the national team as well.

One of the major takeaways from last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup was the infectious passion on display from Espérance de Tunis fans on the streets of American cities. African football journalist Ali Howorth remarked they were the “best fans” at the tournament, effectively taking over downtown Philadelphia. “As one local journalist put it to me, the 10,000 Tunisians created a better atmosphere than a full house of Eagles fans have ever [at Lincoln Financial Field].”

With the first two group matches in Mexico, we could see more of the same. But travel into the United States in large numbers for the third fixture (and maybe beyond) will be challenging, as Tunisia sits on a U.S. list which requires its citizens to pay a $15,000 bond for a tourist visa.

National Expectations

No one, especially not a country with as much prior World Cup experience—and heartbreak—as Tunisia wants to get eliminated in the first round. The first challenge is to win a game, something the team has only done three times in 18 group stage matches going back 48 years.

That said, 2022 yielded four points—helped by a shock win over a heavily rotated France side already assured of a place in the knockouts. Four points would almost certainly be enough to get through this time. The question is whether these Tunisia players have enough to extract that return out of such a tough group.

Even an unprecedented round of 32 exit would have fans in dreamland. Anything else is frustration. But the latter feels like the more likely outcome, all things considered.

And Finally …

• Vibe Check: Determined
• Who Tunisia Doesn't Want to Face: France
• One Stat That Defines Tunisia: It hasn’t scored more than once in a game so far in 2026
• If Things Go Wrong: Insufficient offensive threat
• What Will Everyone Say If It Goes Out Early? Where eagles (don’t) fly

READ MORE GROUP F PREVIEWS AND ALL OF SI FC’S WORLD CUP COVERAGE

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