Tunisia have never reached the knockout stages of the World Cup. They’ve bowed out at the group stage in each of their six appearances so far.
But they will be hopeful that the current crop of stars can lead them to new heights.
Get all the latest Tunisia stats as the tournament unfolds plus the latest squad, manager and fixture information for the African side here.
Tunisia route to the World Cup
Tunisia sealed qualification for their seventh World Cup – and a third consecutive appearance – with an emphatic campaign in CAF Group H.
They amassed 28 points from a possible 30, winning nine of their 10 matches and drawing the other, while scoring 22 goals and recording a perfect ten clean sheets.
Tunisia World Cup 2026 fixtures
Tunisia’s first match at the 2026 World Cup is against Sweden at the Estadio BBVA on 15th June.
Six days later, they face Japan at the same stadium, before a clash against the Netherlands on 26th June at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
READ MORE: Get the latest Tunisia World Cup 2026 outright odds here
Tunisia key players for World Cup 2026
Tunisia top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Hazem Mastouri
- Key stat: Scored the opening goal in a 1-1 draw against Brazil last November.
Hazem Mastouri has scored four goals in 12 matches for Tunisia, having only made his debut for the national team in late 2024. He scored the opening goal in a 1-1 draw against Brazil.
Tunisia creative dark horse: Ali Abdi
- Key stat: The left-back has nine goal involvements in his last 15 caps for his country.
Ali Abdi has been showing his attacking prowess in recent times for Tunisia with the left-back chipping in with five goals and four assists in the last 18 months. Three of those assists came in qualifying, and he also set up Hazem Mastouri’s goal against Brazil.
Tunisia card magnet: Hannibal Mejbri
- Key stat: Was named the African Revelation of the Year in both 2021 and 2022.
Hannibal Mejbri is closing in on 50 international caps despite having just turned 23. The energetic midfielder currently plies his trade in the Premier League with Burnley, having previously played for Manchester United and spent time on loan at Sevilla. Has been known to pick up a few yellow cards.
Tunisia rising star: Ismael Gharbi
- Key Stat: Only earned his first Tunisia cap in 2025.
Aged 21, Ismael Gharbi began his playing career at PSG where he learnt from the best of the best in Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar, and won two league titles. He can be mesmerising to watch on the ball with his jukebox of tricks and skills.
STAND-OUT STAT: Tunisia didn’t concede a single goal in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, winning nine and drawing one of their ten matches.
Set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Ali Abdi, Ismael Gharbi, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane
- Free kicks: Hannibal Mejbri
- Corners: Hannibal Mejbri, Ali Abdi
Tunisia tactical analysis and formation
Tunisia team stats (average per game from last four matches):
- Corners: 6.75
- Shots on target: 3.50
- Shots on target conceded: 2.25
- Offsides: 1.75
Tunisia’s recent run of managerial changes has added a layer of uncertainty to how they may line up at the 2026 World Cup.
Under former head coach Sami Trabelsi, Tunisia enjoyed a flawless end to their qualifying campaign. The Eagles of Carthage won six straight matches while scoring 16 goals and conceding none. That momentum, however, failed to carry into tournament football at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. They were knocked out by Mali in the last-16 despite playing against ten men from the 26th minute onwards.
Trabelsi predominantly alternated between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 during both qualifying and Africa Cup of Nations. His successor, Sabri Lamouchi, could be tempted to follow suit.
Get the latest Tunisia World Cup goals, assists, shots, passes and tackle stats here
Tunisia manager analysis
Tunisia decided to make a managerial change at the start of 2026, replacing Sami Trabelsi with Sabri Lamouchi following their Afcon last-16 defeat by Mali. Trabelsi himself had only been in charge of the national team since February 2025.
Lamouchi has only taken charge of a few games. However, he can draw on his experience of managing the Ivory Coast at the 2014 World Cup, who at the time had stars such as Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Gervinho, Wilfried Bony and in their ranks.
Since then, the former France international – who has Tunisian parents – has built a varied managerial resume. With spells in English football at Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City, in France with Rennes, in Saudi Arabia at Al-Riyadh and Al-Diriyah, and in Qatar with Al-Duhail and El Jaish, he has a varied and impressive CV.
Tunisia World Cup FAQs
Where did Tunisia finish at the last World Cup?
Tunisia’s journey at the 2022 World Cup ended in the group stages, where they narrowly missed out on a top-2 finish. They did, however, shock defending champions France 1-0 in their final match of the tournament.
Who will be Tunisia captain at the World Cup?
Tunisia are captained by experienced midfielder Ferjani Sassi.
Who is Tunisia’s all-time top goalscorer at World Cups?
Wahbi Khazri is Tunisia’s top all-time goalscorer at World Cups, scoring three
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