2026 World Cup: Tunisia to save their honor

They absolutely must not leave the 2026 World Cup after another heavy defeat. The Tunisian players need to earn at least a point so that this campaign does not turn into a complete nightmare.

Two matches, two defeats and a change of coach

Since the 2025 AFCON and their elimination in the round of 16 against Mali, who played with 10 men for several minutes, Tunisia has already shown signs of nervousness. Weaknesses were brought to light at the 2026 World Cup, despite the appointment of Sabri Lamouchi as head coach. After disastrous results in the preparation matches, including a stinging 5-0 loss to Belgium, the Carthage Eagles were disastrous right from the start of World Cup 2026. They were beaten (5-1) by Sweden on the very first day. This defeat led to the sacking of Lamouchi, who was replaced by Hervé Renard.

The issue runs much deeper. Despite Hervé Renard's speech and some tactical adjustments, the Tunisian players did not exist on the pitch against Japan in their second match. That encounter ended with a scoreline of four goals to nil. The Carthage Eagles are in freefall. There is one last objective to pursue: not to leave the competition with zero points.

Beating the Netherlands, a difficult equation to solve

In the final match, Tunisia will face the giant of Group F: the Netherlands. This might not be the ideal opponent to earn their first points of the 2026 World Cup. The Oranjes occupy first place with 4 points and want to consolidate their lead. As a result, the Dutch will be highly motivated and even more fired up for this match.

Tunisia could cause a sensation. But this is a difficult equation to solve for the Carthage Eagles. In their first two outings, the Tunisians have shown nervousness at every level. They have been very fragile defensively. Offensively, they have never found the best combination to hurt Sweden or Japan.

Despite everything, Hervé Renard is aiming for a happy end to the tournament: “We must take responsibility and finish this competition as best as possible. Football demands pride. Even when situations are more difficult, you have to live up to the event. Remain dignified until the end.”, said the manager at the pre-match press conference.

Aymen Dahmen, the Tunisian goalkeeper, revealed the main reasons for Tunisia's failure at the 2026 World Cup.

“The group is still united. We only started getting to know each other during the March training camp. That is what handicapped us the most. We did both good and bad things in this World Cup. Everyone must take responsibility, not just the players.” he said.

The players barely know each other. The squad renewal began in March 2026, at the worst possible time, just two months before the 2026 World Cup. No chemistry, no understanding… But despite this handicap, the Carthage Eagles must try to get a good result against the Oranjes.