Tunisia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Squad, Manager, Fixtures & Tournament History

Tunisia are heading to the FIFA World Cup™ for the seventh time — and qualification is no longer a rare achievement for the Eagles of Carthage. By securing their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ in Canada, Mexico and the United States, they have now appeared at five of the seven World Cups held in the 21st century, cementing their status as one of Africa's most consistent presences on the global stage.

Yet the group stage remains an unbroken ceiling. Seven appearances, and not one knockout-round match to show for them. Tunisia arrive in North America with experience, with momentum, and with the defensive solidity of a side that did not concede a single goal across ten qualifying matches. The goal this time is to change the ending.

The Coach: Sabri Lamouchi

Lamouchi takes charge of Tunisia at the World Cup following the departure of Sami Trabelsi after the 2025 AFCON. The 54-year-old former France international is no stranger to the tournament's demands — he served as Côte d'Ivoire head coach at Brazil 2014, giving him the experience of navigating a major international squad through the pressures of the world's biggest football event.

Tunisia's 2026 World Cup Fixtures & Group

14 June: Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine v Tunisia – Estadio Monterrey

20 June: Tunisia v Japan – Estadio Monterrey

25 June: Tunisia v Netherlands – Kansas City Stadium

How Tunisia Qualified

Tunisia took control of their CAF qualifying group from the outset, winning three of their first four matches under Faouzi Benzarti. When Sami Trabelsi took over, the team found another gear entirely — six consecutive wins followed, and Tunisia ran away with their group, collecting 28 points from a possible 30. Most remarkably of all, they did not concede a single goal in ten qualifying matches, a defensive record that speaks to the organisation and discipline Lamouchi now inherits.

Qualification was confirmed in the September international window, when Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane struck a dramatic late winner against Equatorial Guinea on matchday eight.

Tunisia's World Cup Record

Confederation: CAF

Best Finish: Group stage (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022)

Last Appearance: Qatar 2022 (Group stage)

First Appearance: Argentina 1978 (Group stage)

Total Appearances: 7 (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022, 2026)

Current run of successive qualifications: 3

Overall Record: P18 W3 D5 L10 F14 A26

Tunisia's Best World Cup: Argentina 1978

Tunisia's finest World Cup campaign came on their debut, when they arrived in Argentina as the continent's sole representative — and promptly made history. In Rosario, in front of around 17,000 spectators, the Eagles of Carthage fell behind to a first-half penalty against Mexico before storming back through Ali Kaabi, Nejib Ghommidh and Mokhtar Dhouib to win 3-1. It was the first victory ever recorded by an African team at a World Cup, a moment that opened new horizons for the continent's football on the global stage.

What followed showed the result was no fluke. Tunisia pushed Poland hard before losing 1-0 to a Grzegorz Lato strike, then produced a heroic display to hold reigning world champions West Germany to a goalless draw in their final group match. They exited in third place behind Poland and West Germany, but they had made their mark — permanently.

Tunisia's Last World Cup: Qatar 2022

Tunisia were drawn in a formidable group at Qatar 2022 alongside reigning champions France, Denmark and Australia, and expectations were modest. What they delivered was anything but.

An opening 0-0 draw with Denmark steadied the ship, before a 1-0 defeat to Australia complicated the picture. Then came the finale — a performance that captured the imagination of the tournament. Against a French side already through to the knockout rounds, Wahbi Khazri collected a counter-attack that began beyond the halfway line, carried it to the edge of the area, and drove a low finish past goalkeeper Steve Mandanda to give Tunisia a famous 1-0 win over the reigning world champions. It was not enough to advance — Australia's victory over Denmark confirmed third place for the Eagles — but they left Qatar with their heads high and the admiration of a watching world.

Tunisia's First World Cup: Argentina 1978

Tunisia's debut is also their best. The 1978 campaign — their historic victory over Mexico, their resilience against Poland, their composure against West Germany — remains the defining chapter of Tunisian football at the World Cup, and the benchmark against which every subsequent campaign has been measured.

Tunisia's All-Time World Cup Top Scorer

Wahbi Khazri leads Tunisia's all-time World Cup scoring chart with three goals across the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. At Russia 2018 he opened his account against Belgium, converting at the near post from a pinpoint Hamdi Nagguez cross past Thibaut Courtois, before leading Tunisia to a 2-1 win over Panama with a second goal set up by Oussama Haddadi. His most celebrated strike came four years later — the counter-attack finish against France in Qatar that is already part of Tunisian sporting legend.

Tunisia's Most Capped World Cup Players

Kaies Ghodhbane and Riadh Bouazizi share the record as Tunisia's most-capped World Cup players with eight appearances each, both featuring across three consecutive tournaments in 1998, 2002 and 2006. Hatem Trabelsi played seven matches across those same editions.

Tunisia's Most Memorable World Cup Moments

Two moments stand above the rest in Tunisia's World Cup story, separated by more than four decades but united by the same spirit of defiance against expectation.

The first is the 3-1 victory over Mexico in 1978 — the goal that opened the door for African football on the global stage. The second is Khazri's winner against France at Qatar 2022 — a counter-attack of precision and nerve that silenced one of the tournament's favourites and sent Education City Stadium into raptures. Neither result was enough to take Tunisia into the knockout rounds. But both confirmed, unmistakably, that the Eagles of Carthage are capable of the extraordinary.