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Login2026 World Cup: Tunisian National Team Aims to Advance Beyond Group Stage in 7th World Cup Appearance
Doha, June 02 (QNA) - The Tunisian National Team will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, for the seventh time in its history and the third consecutive time. This will be the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams.
The draw placed Tunisia in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden. They will begin their campaign against Sweden, who qualified through the European playoffs, on June 15 at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico. They will then face Japan on June 20 at the same venue, before concluding their group stage matches with a tough encounter against the Netherlands on June 26 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, USA.
The match between Tunisia and Japan will be a historic and exceptional event in the 23rd edition of the World Cup, as it will be the 1000th match in the history of the tournament.
The Tunisian team has a rich history in the World Cup, as its first participation dates back to the Argentina edition in 1978, when it became the first Arab and African team to win a match in the history of the tournament after defeating the Mexican team with a score of (3-1).
Tunisia also participated in the 1998 World Cup in France, the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, before making its seventh appearance in the 2026 edition.
During its previous participations, the Tunisian national team played 18 World Cup matches, achieving three wins, five draws, and ten losses. They scored 17 goals and conceded 27.
The historic victory over the French national team, along with the victory over the Mexican national team in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina and the win against Panama in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, remain among the most prominent results achieved by the Tunisian national team in its World Cup journey. They aspire now to achieve an unprecedented feat by reaching the knockout stages and continuing to make history for Tunisian and Arab football.
Tunisia’s journey in the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup witnessed a remarkable record after it reached 28 points, the highest score among all teams in the groups, after achieving 9 victories and one draw without recording any losses, becoming the only team among all participating teams that kept a clean net throughout the qualifying journey. Meanwhile, its players succeeded in scoring 22 goals during the qualification journey.
Former coach Sami Trabelsi led the Tunisian national team to its highest points tally in the history of the African qualifiers since the group stage system was adopted. This achievement reflects the exceptional level of performance that accompanied the team's journey to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, before current coach Sabri Lamouchi took over.
The Tunisian team secured its qualification for the World Cup finals for the seventh time in its history, and the third consecutive time, early in the eighth round of qualifiers during the international break last September.
On the continental level, the Tunisian national team stands out as one of the most prominent African teams, having participated in the Africa Cup of Nations 22 times. The Tunisian team won the African title in 2004, in addition to finishing as runners-up in 1965 and 1996. They also achieved fourth place in 1978, 2000, and 2019, and reached the quarterfinals on several occasions, confirming their consistent presence among the continent's elite teams.
Throughout its history, Tunisian football has produced many stars who have left their mark on the national team, most notably Tarak Dhiab, Hamadi Agrebi, Abdelmajid Chetali, Hatem Trabelsi, and Zoubeir Baya, as well as Radhi Jaidi, who holds the record for most international appearances with 105 caps.
The Tunisian national team currently relies on a group of outstanding young players. Manager Sabri Lamouchi's selections have witnessed a wide renewal process in the list of players invited to participate in the World Cup, as he only retained six players from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 squad: Montassar Talbi, Dylan Bronn, Hannibal Mejbri, Ellyes Skhiri, Ali Abdi and Anis Ben Slimane. In contrast, there were young players brought to build a more competitive team for the next stages. (QNA)
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