"French media call us the Italy of Africa," says Omar Belghith, a Tunisian fan based in La Marsa. "When we are the underdogs, we make great matches. When we are the favourites, we disappoint." Twenty-seven years of watching this team, and that one line still cuts to the bone.
Tunisia arrive at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico having qualified with something close to ruthless efficiency — 13 goals scored, none conceded across their qualifying group. Then, the day after being knocked out of AFCON by Mali on penalties in January, head coach Sami Trabelsi was sacked. Sabri Lamouchi, former Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City manager and ex-French international, was brought in to pick up the pieces.
A squad quietly worth watching
There's genuine talent here, even if the wider world hasn't noticed. Hannibal Mejbri is the name everyone leads with — the 23-year-old who came through Manchester United's academy and spent last season getting relegated with Burnley, which at least means he'll be hungry. Sebastien Tounekti has shown real quality at Celtic since arriving from Hammarby. Elias Achouri faced Barcelona, Napoli and Tottenham in this season's Champions League with Copenhagen. Ellyes Skhiri is a regular for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
Then there's Khalil Ayari, 21, who spent last season on loan in PSG's academy and made his senior debut in March. Lamouchi's willingness to blood these younger players is why fans believe he was the right call to replace Trabelsi.
In Group stage they face Sweden, the Netherlands and Japan. Sweden scraped through qualifying via a play-off. The Netherlands lost to England in the Euro 2024 semi-finals. Japan, as Belghith points out, have publicly declared they want to win the World Cup by 2050 — which makes them the most dangerous side in the group to underestimate.
The France problem — and what it actually meant
Tunisia's famous 1-0 win over France in Qatar 2022 should be the story everyone tells. Wahbi Khazri's goal beat a side that included Camavinga, Tchouameni, Varane and then brought Mbappe, Dembele and Griezmann off the bench. But ask Tunisian fans what it meant and the answer is complicated.
"People who understand football weren't very happy," Belghith says. Tunisia had already lost to Australia four days earlier. The France win meant nothing in the standings. It was three points that came too late and left the crowd celebrating a hollow victory.
That's the loop Tunisia keep finding themselves in. A 3-1 win over Mexico in 1978 made them the first African nation to win a World Cup game. Harry Kane's stoppage-time header in 2018 stole a point they'd almost earned against England. The Australia defeat in 2022 ended their round-of-16 hopes before the France win even happened.
For anyone looking at Tunisia's group-stage odds, that pattern matters. This is a team that genuinely threatens when expectations are low — and crumbles when they're supposed to deliver.
Home attendances tell part of the story. Their 60,000-capacity Hammadi Agrebi Stadium rarely pulls more than 20,000 for national team games. When Tunisia played in Qatar or France, the crowds were enormous. The fanbase hasn't fallen out of love with football — far from it. Wajih, who moved to Belgium in 2024, still hosts friends for every game. Saif Allah Touihri says he can't watch at home because he gets too angry. The cafes fill up regardless of kick-off time.
"I hope for the first time in history we will progress to the next round," Belghith says. "Why not?"
Tunisia's opening fixture is June 15 against Sweden. The last time they faced a supposedly manageable opener, they lost to Australia. The time before that, Kane broke their hearts in added time.
