Tunisia vs Japan – World Cup 2026 Kickoff Time
Tunisia vs Netherlands – World Cup 2026 Kickoff Time
Tunisia are one of those teams that quietly go about their business while the bigger names get all the attention โ and then they beat France in a group game and everyone suddenly remembers they exist. At Qatar 2022 they beat eventual runners-up France in their final group game, once again proving their squad is capable of competing with the very best. They went out despite that result, but the statement was made. This is their seventh World Cup appearance and their third in a row. The Carthage Eagles are not here by accident.
Here is the stat that deserves far more attention than it is getting. Tunisia became the first team in World Cup qualifying history to reach the finals without conceding a single goal โ ten matches played, zero goals against, 22 scored. Not once. In ten qualifying games. Under new coach Sabri Lamouchi, the defensive organization is not just good โ it is historically unprecedented at this stage. A team that doesn't concede in qualifying doesn't just get lucky. That is a system, a mentality, and a squad that buys into both completely.
Captain Ellyes Skhiri anchors the midfield from Eintracht Frankfurt, bringing 81 caps of experience and Bundesliga steel to the engine room. His partnership with Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri has made Tunisia a very difficult team to beat โ Mejbri brings energy, creativity, and the kind of intensity that can unsettle bigger sides. Khalil Ayari and Rayan Elloumi are the emerging young names to watch โ Elloumi at just 18 is the youngest player in the squad and could be one of the tournament's breakout names.
Group F โ Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia โ is brutal. On paper Tunisia are fourth favorites and I won't pretend otherwise. But a team that plays with this much defensive discipline and energy, that beat France at the last tournament, and that arrived here with a qualifying record nobody has ever matched before? They are not coming to make up the numbers. Tunisia are the kind of team that makes tournaments interesting โ and if they catch Netherlands or Japan on a bad day, nobody should be surprised.