Tunisia compete in Group Six of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Record:
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Best World Cup finish: Group stage
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FIFA ranking: 44
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Last World Cup appearance: 2022
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Nickname: Eagles of Carthage
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Top clubs: Club Africain, Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Étoile du Sahel
Qualification: In a relatively accessible Group Eight of African qualifying, the Eagles of Carthage left no room for doubt, winning nine matches and drawing one, while keeping clean sheets against Namibia, Liberia, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé. This near-perfect run, under coaches Fousi Benzarti and then Sami Trabelsi, secured their World Cup ticket in September 2025. However, the Africa Cup of Nations later complicated the picture — Tunisia were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Mali despite a numerical advantage, leading to Trabelsi's departure.
Coach: Since January, French-Tunisian Sabri Lamouchi has taken charge. The 54-year-old former midfielder previously managed Ivory Coast at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and has since coached in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Rennes, and Nottingham Forest, among others. Under him, Tunisia beat Haiti — also World Cup qualifiers — 1–0, and drew 0–0 with hosts Canada.
Star player: Hannibal Mejbri. Lamouchi's first task was to rejuvenate an ageing squad, dropping defender Yassine Meriah (32) and former captain Ferjani Sassi (34). Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri, a Manchester United academy product who also represented French youth teams, is one of the team's cornerstones despite being only 23. He was Tunisia's standout player at AFCON 2025.
Ambitions: In six previous World Cup appearances, Tunisia have never made it past the group stage, despite a notable result in Qatar 2022 — a 1–0 win over France, who reached the final. The expanded 48-team format offers a better chance of reaching the knockout rounds for the first time, though a tightly contested Group Six offers no guarantees.