Hannibal Mejbri celebrates his first goal for Tunisia with teammates during the 2026 World Cup Qualifier football match between Tunisia and Namibia at Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades, Tunisia on 13 October 2025 ©Mehrez Toujani/BackpagePix
Sunday May 31, 2026. 15:00
Tunisia are poised to make their seventh appearance at the World Cup and will contest Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden.
The Eagles of Carthage made their debut at the 1978 tournament in Argentina, where they made history by becoming the first African and Arab nation to win a World Cup match, beating Mexico 3-1.
They also held eventual finalists West Germany to a respectable goalless draw, earning widespread praise for their disciplined and organised performance before exiting in the group stage.
Since then, Tunisia have featured regularly in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022 but have never progressed beyond the group stage in six previous attempts.
Their most notable results include a fighting 2-1 win over Panama in 2018 and a memorable 1-0 victory over France in 2022, which showcased their tactical discipline and ability to compete against top nations even as they narrowly missed out on advancement.
The two-time Africa Cup of Nations champions return with a solid mix of experienced campaigners and emerging talent, backed by their trademark defensive organisation and counter-attacking threat.
With renewed confidence and ambition, Tunisia will be determined to finally break their long-standing group-stage curse and deliver a historic knockout-stage run in 2026.