Tunisia
Eagles of Carthage
Manager
The Story
Trabelsi built a qualifying record that stood alone in World Cup history: ten CAF Group H matches, nine wins, one draw, not a single goal surrendered. No team had ever done it before. The reward was a ticket to North America. His job, however, did not survive. Tunisia's AFCON campaign collapsed in the Round of 16, penalties sending Mali through at their expense, and Trabelsi was out the door by January. Sabri Lamouchi, French-born with Tunisian roots and a CV that spans Rennes, Nottingham Forest, and Cardiff City, took the reins. Pre-tournament preparation did little to calm nerves: a scoreless draw with Canada, a narrow 1-0 win over Haiti, a 1-0 loss to Austria, then a 5-0 thrashing by Belgium on the eve of the group stage.
Tunisia's defensive organisation is legitimate, built on a qualifying record that produced zero goals conceded across ten matches, anchored by Skhiri's positional intelligence and Talbi's aerial dominance at centre-back. The midfield trio of Skhiri, Mejbri, and Ben Slimane presses in structured waves and makes the team genuinely difficult to break down, particularly against sides who lack patience on the ball. Lamouchi's 4-2-3-1 keeps the team compact and hard to play through.
The attack is alarmingly light on proven goal threat at this level; with no out-and-out striker commanding confidence, Tunisia's scoring burden falls on midfielders and wide players who are effective but not prolific. Lamouchi managing only four matches before the tournament is a significant risk in itself, and the 5-0 pre-tournament loss to Belgium exposed exactly how thin the squad looks against top-tier European pressing sides.
Key Players
Ellyes Skhiri
Eintracht Frankfurt · age 31
Skhiri arrives at this tournament as Tunisia's captain and their most experienced international, with 81 caps to his name and Bundesliga Champions League football under his belt this season, the only player in Lamouchi's squad who can say that. His value is structural: he screens in front of the back four, wins the ball early, and keeps the team compact by anchoring the shape from deep in midfield. When he is fit and at his best, Tunisia become genuinely hard to break down.
Hannibal Mejbri
Burnley · age 23
The most recognisable Tunisian name in English football. Mejbri grew up in France and chose Tunisia, and he brings genuine Premier League pace and press-resistance to the midfield. He scored one goal and registered four assists for Burnley in 2025-26 and posted 91% pass accuracy in a struggling side. Tunisia's standout at AFCON 2025 was Mejbri. At his second World Cup, the expectation is that he graduates from effective to decisive in the moments that matter.
Khalil Ayari
Paris Saint-Germain · age 21
The most intriguing wildcard in Lamouchi's squad. Training and developing at PSG has sharpened Ayari technically even though regular first-team minutes have been hard to come by at the Parc des Princes. At only 21, he carries the attacking flair and directness that the rest of the forward line largely lacks. If Lamouchi needs a match-winning contribution from someone unexpected, Ayari is the most likely source. The World Cup stage suits a player with nothing to lose and everything to prove.
Montassar Talbi
Lorient · age 26
The defensive anchor alongside Dylan Bronn at centre-back. Talbi has started nearly every match for Lorient in Ligue 1 this season and brings physicality, aerial presence, and organisational nous. He is experienced enough to handle Japan's movement and Sweden's direct play, but his ability to read space against the Netherlands' front line is the real test. That qualifying campaign conceded nothing across ten matches, which is a legitimate credential.
Elias Achouri
FC Copenhagen · age 24
Achouri is the engine in Tunisia's attacking third. His partnership with Mejbri has made Tunisia difficult to beat and he contributed two goals in the pre-tournament period. He plays his club football in the Danish Superliga with FC Copenhagen, which gives him Champions League exposure and sharpens his reading of pressing systems. Capable of operating centrally or in the channels, Achouri shapes up as Tunisia's most productive attacker when things click in North America.
Warm-Up Matches
- v Austria2026-06-01 · Ernst-Happel-Stadion, ViennaL0-1
- v Belgium2026-06-06 · King Baudouin Stadium, BrusselsL0-5
Recent Form
Tournament Prediction
Tunisia's qualifying record was historic, but the group they landed in is unforgiving. The Netherlands are the clear group favourites, Japan are organised and dangerous, and Sweden qualified through the play-offs but will fancy a result against African opposition in Mexico. Tunisia's 5-0 warm-up loss to Belgium is genuinely alarming, not because Belgium are group opponents but because it exposed the attacking poverty and structural fragility against a pressing European side. Lamouchi has had four matches to learn his squad. That is not enough time for coherent tactical identity at a World Cup. The defence is good, but Tunisia have no reliable finisher. They could absolutely nick a draw against Sweden or Japan on a good day, and four points might just be enough under the new 32-to-48 format. But realistically, the Netherlands win the group, Japan and Sweden take the other two progression spots, and Tunisia exit in the group stage for a seventh consecutive time. The Eagles of Carthage deserve credit for getting here. Breaking the curse requires more than a clean qualifying sheet.
Betting Markets
Tunisia to reach the Group Stage.
Confidence: High