Tunisia national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tunisia

Nickname(s)	نسور قرطاج (Eagles of Carthage)
Association	Tunisian Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNAF (North Africa)
Head coach	Montasser Louhichi (caretaker)
Captain	Youssef Msakni
Most caps	Radhi Jaïdi (105)
Top scorer	Issam Jemâa (36)
Home stadium	Stade Hammadi Agrebi
FIFA code	TUN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	28 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	14 (April – May 2018)
Lowest	65 (July 2010)
First international
Tunisia 4–2 Libya  (Tunis, Tunisia; 2 June 1957)
Biggest win
Tunisia 8–1 Chinese Taipei  (Rome, Italy; 18 August 1960)  Tunisia 7–0 Togo  (Tunis, Tunisia; 7 January 2000)  Tunisia 7–0 Malawi  (Tunis, Tunisia; 26 March 2005)  Tunisia 8–1 Djibouti  (Tunis, Tunisia; 12 June 2015)
Biggest defeat
Hungary 10–1 Tunisia  (Budapest, Hungary; 24 July 1960)
World Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1978)
Best result	Group stage (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	21 (first in 1962)
Best result	Champions (2004)
African Nations Championship
Appearances	2 (first in 2011)
Best result	Champions (2011)
Arab Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1963)
Best result	Champions (1963)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2005)
Best result	Group stage (2005)
Medal record Men's Football Africa Cup of Nations Gold 2004 Tunisia Silver 1965 Tunisia Silver 1996 South Africa Bronze 1962 Ethiopia African Nations Championship Gold 2011 Sudan African Games Silver 1991 Cairo Bronze 2007 Algiers Arab Cup Gold 1963 Lebanon Silver 2021 Qatar Palestine Cup of Nations Gold 1973 Libya Arab Games Silver 1957 Lebanon Mediterranean Games Gold 2001 Tunis Silver 1971 Izmir Bronze 1975 Alger Bronze 2013 Mersin
Website	(in French)

The Tunisia national football team (Arabic: منتخب تونس لكرة القدم; French: Équipe de Tunisie de football) represents Tunisia in men's international association football. The team is a member of both FIFA and CAF, the Confederation of African Football. It is governed by the Tunisian Football Federation, founded in 1957. Colloquially known as the Eagles of Carthage, the team's colours are red and white, and the bald eagle is its symbol. Most of Tunisia's home matches are played at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Radès since 2001.

Tunisia is one of the most competitive African national teams in international football, having won one African Cup of Nations as hosts in 2004. They have made six FIFA World Cups and twenty Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, and participated in four editions of the Olympic football tournaments.

History

1928–1956: Early years

An unofficial Tunisian team was formed in 1928, comprising the best Tunisian players from the Tunisian league. The team's first match was on 11 March 1928, against the French B team; Tunisia lost 8–2. Their next friendlies, against the same team on 23 March 1930 and 26 March 1933, also resulted in heavy defeats, 0–5 and 1–6 respectively. Tunisia had to wait until 1932 for their first match win, a 1–0 victory over French Algeria.

Most of the matches that Tunisia played in the 1930s and '40s were against French teams, whether it was French Algeria, the French military team or the France B team, at the Stade Vélodrome in Tunis.

1956–78: Post-independence

Stade Chedly Zouiten, the home of the Tunisian team in the 1960s.

Tunisia gained independence from France on 20 March 1956. The Tunisian Football Federation was founded on 29 March 1957 and the Tunisian team played a match with Austrian club FC Admira Wacker Mödling on 30 December of the same year and managed to win 4–1. Tunisia became affiliated with FIFA and the Confederation of African Football in 1960. The independent Tunisia played their first match against Algeria on 1 June 1957, in the midst of the Algerian War; Tunisia lost 2–1. They played their first official match at the 1957 Arab Games where they won against Libya 4–3 after scoring the first Tunisian goal in an official competition by Farzit. They also managed to get through Iraq and Lebanon before losing in the final against Syria 3–1.

In 1960, Yugoslavian Milan Kristić became the first foreign manager; the national team qualified for the 1960 Summer Olympics, their first international event after beating Malta, Morocco and Sudan; on 24 July 1960, the team experienced its biggest-ever defeat, losing 10–1 against Hungary. However, less than a month later, on 18 August, Tunisia recorded their biggest-ever win: an 8–1 thumping of Taiwan. In the Olympic Games, the team suffered three defeats: against Poland 6–1, Argentina 2–1 and Denmark 3–1.

Tunisia at the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification against Egypt.

Frane Matošić was appointed as the second Yugoslav coach of Tunisia after Kristić led Tunisia to qualify for the Olympics. In 1962, Tunisia entered the African Cup of Nations qualifiers for the first time: the team qualified for the tournament after overcoming Morocco and Nigeria and went on to finish third after beating Uganda in the third-place match. The team won the 1963 Arab Cup, after winning against Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Kuwait.

Tunisia also qualified for the 1963 Africa Cup of Nations, and CAF decided that Tunisia would host the 1965 AFCON, making the final after beating Ethiopia 4–0 in the opening match in Stade Chedly Zouiten, losing 3–2 to Ghana in extra-time of the final. Despite this early success, Tunisia did not enter the Cup of Nations again until 1976, and qualify until 1978. In 1973, the team entered the Palestine Cup of Nations and won in dominant fashion, winning all six of their matches overcoming Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq, scoring 19 goals, and conceding only three.

1978: Golden generation

In February 1975, after a short stint with Hungarian manager André Nagy, Abdelmajid Chetali was hired. Tunisia qualified for their FIFA World Cup debut in 1978 after a remarkable performance in the qualifiers led by a distinguished generation with Mokhtar Dhouib, Néjib Ghommidh, Raouf Ben Aziza and Tarak Dhiab. Tunisia defeated Mexico 3–1, but were defeated by Poland 1–0, and drew scoreless against defending champion West Germany.

1978–1994: Decline

Dhiab scored Tunisia's qualification goal for the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Following their first World Cup, Tunisia experienced a decline; between 1980 and 1992, the team managed to qualify for only two tournaments – the 1982 African Cup of Nations and the 1988 Summer Olympics – in both, they were knocked out in the first round. They, however, reached the last round of the 1986 World Cup qualifiers by beating Nigeria before being defeated by Algeria. Former Cameroon manager Jean Vincent was hired but failed to qualify for the 1988 African Cup in Morocco after a defeat against Algeria. He also achieved catastrophic results in the African Games with defeats against Cameroon, Madagascar and Kenya, and was immediately sacked.

Taoufik Ben Othman, assistant manager in 1978, improved Tunisia's results relatively as they qualified for the Olympic Games after surpassing Morocco and Egypt in the qualifiers. However, he was sacked days before the start of the competition after poor results in the 1988 Arab Cup and failure to win in their matches against Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq, as well as friendlies against Malta, Finland and East Germany.

Polish manager Antoni Piechniczek was temporarily appointed and supervised the team in the first round of 1990 World Cup qualifiers and also in the finals of the Olympic Games; in the latter, Tunisia tied China 0–0 and Sweden 2–2 and suffered a defeat from West Germany 4–1. Mokhtar Tlili was appointed manager, however, he still missed the African Cup in 1990 after a defeat to Senegal. Piechniczek returned but still failed to qualify for the 1990 World Cup. Despite missing the 1992 African Cup, the federation renewed confidence in him because of the respectable performance he had given in the qualifiers; an early exit from the World Cup qualifiers for 1994 contributed to his dismissal after a draw with Morocco. Youssef Zouaoui replaced him; Tunisia hosted the 1994 African Cup of Nations replacing original hosts Zaire, but finished at the bottom of the group, after a 2–0 loss to Mali and a draw with Zaire.

1994–2002: Resurgence

Henryk Kasperczak became the new manager after Tunisia hosted the 1994 African Cup of Nations. Tunisia qualified for the 1996 AFCON and finished second in their group, putting them through to the quarter-finals. Tunisia went on to beat Gabon in the quarter-finals and Zambia in the semi-finals, to reach their first major final in 31 years, but lost to host country South Africa 2–0.

Tunisia reached the quarter-finals of the 1998 African Cup of Nations in the lead of the group with a win over DR Congo, Togo and a defeat from Ghana, where they were eliminated in a penalty shootout by host country Burkina Faso. The team also qualified for that year's World Cup after a 20-year absence: they again failed to advance from the group stages, losing 2–0 to England and 1–0 to Colombia, and drawing 1–1 with Romania. Kasperczak was sacked and replaced with Francesco Scoglio, who guided the team to the 2000 African Cup of Nations, where they finished in fourth place after losing to Cameroon in the semi-finals.

The following year, Scoglio departed to rejoin Genoa CFC, sparking a period of severe instability. Eckhard Krautzun initially took over and guided the team to a second successive World Cup qualification, but then resigned, citing interference from the Tunisian FA with his coaching. Henri Michel replaced him, but was sacked when Tunisia crashed out of the 2002 African Cup of Nations without scoring a single goal after scoreless draws with Senegal and Zambia and a defeat from Egypt. Finally, Ammar Souayah took over in time for the 2002 World Cup; the team drew in friendlies with Norway and South Korea and were defeated by Denmark and Slovenia. In the finals, Tunisia exited the tournament in the group stage, drawing 1–1 with Belgium, losing 2–0 to Russia and co-hosts Japan, prompting a search for a new manager.

2002–2008: Roger Lemerre era, African domination

Tunisia-Ukraine match during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In September 2002, the Tunisian Football Federation announced that it was finalizing a contract with former France manager Roger Lemerre. Tunisia hosted the 2004 African Cup of Nations, winning the group. They defeated Senegal in the quarter-finals, and Nigeria in the semi-finals. Tunisia built a 1–0 lead after four minutes with Mehdi Nafti's concentration pushed by Francileudo Santos, before Morocco levelled. Tunisia restored their lead, giving them their first African Cup of Nations title. They also won the CAF's African National Team of the Year award. Lemerre became the first manager to win two different continental tournaments, having previously won Euro 2000 with France.

As a result, Tunisia qualified for the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany, playing the hosts, Argentina and Australia. The only points they would win was a victory over Australia. Before their 2006 World Cup appearance, Lemerre took the Tunisians to a training camp in Switzerland, where they played international friendlies against Swiss clubs. Tunisia would only record one draw in Germany, against Saudi Arabia, losing against Spain and Ukraine.

Hatem Trabelsi announced his retirement from international football after eight years, and Lemerre led Tunisia to the 2008 African Cup of Nations. Tunisia won their 2008 AFCON group after a draw in the opening match against Senegal 2–2, a 3–1 victory over South Africa, and a goalless draw against Angola. They then lost against Cameroon 3–2 in extra time.

2008–2014: Disappointments

Tunisia-Gabon match in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

Portuguese Humberto Coelho was appointed as the new manager on 3 June 2008. Coelho would fail to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Faouzi Benzarti was appointed as the new manager, and was also sacked after Tunisia were eliminated from the group stage in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. In June 2010, Bertrand Marchand was appointed manager for a two-year contract. After a series of horrendous results, Tunisia fell to 65th in the FIFA World Rankings, the worst in its history. Sami Trabelsi was appointed, and the team qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a defeat by Ghana.

In the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Tunisia snatched a late winner against Algeria, before a defeat by Ivory Coast, 3–0. The last match ended with a 1–1 draw against Togo. In February 2013, Nabil Maâloul replaced Sami Trabelsi; in their first two 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, Tunisia beat Sierra Leone 2–1 and clinched a 2–2 draw in Freetown.

On 16 June, during the fifth round of the group stage, Tunisia tied 1–1 against Equatorial Guinea. A 2–0 loss to Cape Verde on 7 September all but eliminated Tunisia; however, Tunisia advanced after FIFA disqualified Cape Verde for cheating. They would then be knocked out by Cameroon.

2014–2024: Return to prominence, two World Cup appearances and decline

Belgian manager Georges Leekens was appointed in early 2014; early results included a 1–1 draw against Colombia and a 1–0 win over South Korea, both in friendly matches. Under Leekens, the team climbed from 49th to 22nd in the FIFA rankings. Tunisia qualified for the 2015 African Cup of Nations, and topped their group for the first time since 2008, winning against Zambia and drawing with Cape Verde and DR Congo. They were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a defeat to host Equatorial Guinea. In July 2015, Henryk Kasperczak returned as manager after 17 years. He managed to qualify the team for the 2017 African Cup, and reached the quarter-finals of the competition after beating Algeria and Zimbabwe, before losing again in this round, this time against Burkina Faso.

Tunisia–Belgium match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

On 27 April 2017, Nabil Maâloul returned as manager despite the disapproval of the Tunisian supporters following the failure at the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, but this time he qualified Tunisia for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Tunisia's qualification for the World Cup and its results in friendlies against Iran and Costa Rica, led to its rise to 14th place in the FIFA World Rankings, their best ever. Before the World Cup, Tunisia drew with Turkey and Portugal, in addition to a narrow defeat against Spain 1–0. Despite this, in the World Cup, Tunisia were once again eliminated from the group stage. In the first match, England won 2–1. Belgium defeated the North Africans 5–2, and in Tunisia's last game against Panama, the Arab nation won 2–1. Tunisia qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with new manager Alain Giresse; the new manager would only record three ties, against Angola, Mali, and Mauritania to qualify for the round 16. They eventually would win against Ghana, and Madagascar 3–0 in the quarter-finals, to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in 15 years, losing to Senegal 1–0 in extra time. In September 2021, the national team began its 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with three consecutive victories against Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, and Mauritania; they would then draw Mauritania 0–0 and lose against Equatorial Guinea 1–0, to advance for the third round on the top of the group.

Qatar hosted the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup; Tunisia started with a 5–1 win against Mauritania. They then suffered an unexpected defeat to Syria, before winning against the United Arab Emirates. In the quarter-finals Tunisia won against Oman 2–1, and scored a 95th minute winner against Egypt in the semi-finals. Tunisia faced Algeria in the final, losing 2–0. The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations was postponed to early 2022; in the group stage, Tunisia began with a 1–0 defeat against Mali, with Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe ending the match in the 85th minute. In the second match, the team achieved a 4–0 victory over Mauritania, and lost against Gambia in the last group match. Tunisia defeated Nigeria in the round of 16, and were eliminated by Burkina Faso.

In March, Tunisia qualified for their sixth World Cup, the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the first hosted by an Arab nation, after beating Mali 1–0 on aggregate, taking revenge for the earlier loss in the AFCON. They then defeated Chile and Japan to win the 2022 Kirin Cup Soccer title for the first time, and Ferjani Sassi was named the best player of the tournament while his compatriot Issam Jebali finished as the top scorer with two goals. Tunisia played two pre-World Cup friendlies in France in September 2022, defeating Comoros 1−0 in Croissy-sur-Seine and losing 5−1 to Brazil at the Parc des Princes in Paris. With the exception of Brazil, Tunisia's relatively good forms increased confidence on the side to break the knockout stage taboo as Tunisia found themselves grouped with world champions France, European dark horse Denmark and Asian minnows Australia.

In Group D, Tunisia drew Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark 0−0 in a rather decent display by the African side. But a 0−1 loss against Australia followed, severely hampering Tunisia's odds to progress. A 1−0 victory over France courtesy of a goal from Wahbi Khazri was not enough to seal Tunisia's place in the last 16 as Australia's Mathew Leckie goal against Denmark meant the Asian representative placed second.

Home stadium

Tunisia against the Netherlands at Stade Hammadi Agrebi in Radès.

From 1956 to 2001, the national stadium was Chedly Zouiten Stadium, with a capacity of 18,000. It hosted also the 1965 and 1994 African Cup of Nations and the 1977 FIFA U-20 World Cup before it was replaced after the construction of El Menzah Stadium (45,000) in 1967 for the 1967 Mediterranean Games. Tunisia's first match at the stadium was played on 8 September 1967 against Libya. It hosted the 1977 FIFA World Youth Championship and was completely renovated for the 1994 African Cup of Nations. It also hosted the 2004 AFCON.

In 2001, Stade 7 November was inaugurated as Tunisia's national stadium ahead of the 2001 Mediterranean Games. Located in Radès, the stadium has an all-seater capacity of 60,000. The first match at the stadium was played on 7 July 2001 against between Étoile du Sahel and CS Hammam-Lif for the Tunisian Cup final. Tunisia have used the stadium for almost every major home game, including the 2004 African Cup of Nations Final. The Tunisians often host their matches at the Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet in Monastir which has a capacity of 20,000.

In addition, there are many other venues that host games, such as the Olympic Stadium of Sousse, which hosted a friendly match between Tunisia and Switzerland in November 2012 and also hosted a match in the 2012 AFCON qualification.

Rivalries

Tunisia's main football rivals are its neighbours Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt, with which it shares close cultural and political relations.

Algeria

Tunisia–Algeria match in the 2013 African Cup of Nations.

Tunisia have played 45 games against Algeria. After the independence of Algeria, a friendly match took place at the Stade Chedly Zouiten. The teams also met three times in the qualifying phase of the World Cup in 1970, 1978 and 1986. The overall record slightly favours the Algerians with 16 wins, 14 draws and 14 losses. Algeria and Tunisia played three times in official competitions: twice in the Africa Cup of Nations, in 2013 and 2017, which Tunisia won both times, and once in the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021, which Algeria won.

Egypt

The rivalry between Egypt and Tunisia is one of Africa's best and most exciting matches for their long continental history. The two teams have met 39 times in both official and friendly matches. The overall record is slightly favourable to the Tunisians, who won 16 matches against Egypt's 12. 11 matches ended in a draw.

Morocco

Tunisia and Morocco have played 50 games since their independence from France in 1956. Their first match was for the 1962 World Cup qualification, which took place on 30 October 1960 in Casablanca. Most of the matches were played in World Cup qualification as they met in the qualifiers of 1962, 1970, 1978, 1990, 1994 and 2006. They also met four times in the African Cup of Nations. Two of them ended in a draw in 1978 and 2000 and the other two matches ended up as a Tunisian win in the 2004 and 2012 AFCONs.

Mali

The rivalry between Tunisia and Mali has been evident in recent years in terms of the number of frequent matches, especially in the Africa Cup of Nations. The two teams met for the first time on 6 January 1974, during a friendly match in Bamako, which ended with a 1–0 victory for Mali. The match between the two teams in the 1994 African Cup of Nations, which was held in Tunisia, remains one of the biggest setbacks witnessed by the Tunisian national team, as Mali won the match 2–0, which led to Tunisia’s early exclusion from the tournament that was held on its soil. In recent years, the team's matches have continued, as they met in the last three consecutive editions of the African Cup of Nations 2019, 2021 and 2023, all of which were in the group stage, where Mali won two matches and one ended in a draw. The two teams met in the third and final round of the 2022 World Cup qualification. Two round-robin matches were played. However, Tunisia qualified for the World Cup after winning the first leg in Bamako 1–0 with an own goal from defender Moussa Sissako, and a goalless draw prevailed in the return match in Radès. This was Mali's closest chance of qualifying for the World Cup. The competition record remains with Tunisia with a slight advantage. Tunisia won 6 matches, 3 of which ended in draws, and Mali won 5 matches.

Equatorial Guinea

The rivalry with Equatorial Guinea is unique over the fact that these meetings are more recent and used to be regarded as unimportant, but the root fueling this rivalry occurred during the quarter-finals of the 2015 AFCON, in which the Tunisians got a string of unfair decisions from the referee, which caused the team to lose to the Equatorial Guinean hosts 2–1. This fueled widespread rage and anger among Tunisian players and fans. Ever since, Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea have found themselves surprisingly in confrontation of numerous recent tournament qualification matches, starting with the 2021 AFCON qualifying where Tunisia won both fixtures, albeit by a one-goal margin. However, despite Tunisia's domination, Equatorial Guinea have proven to be increasingly stern in later qualifying matches, having managed to defeat Tunisia at home in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification and the 2023 AFCON qualification. Both national teams are again scheduled to face each other in 2026 World Cup qualification.

Team image

Supporters

Tunisian fans in Moscow at the 2018 World Cup.

Tunisian fans in Berlin at the 2006 World Cup.

Tunisian supporters watching the match against Ukraine at the FIFA Fan Fest in Stuttgart in 2006.

Fans of the Tunisian national team display the country's national flag, usually with an emphasis on the red element.

Kits and crest

Six companies have supplied sports uniforms to the Tunisian national team, starting in 1970, when Adidas began to adopt the Tunisian national team's uniforms for 24 years. Italy's Lotto provided Tunisia's until 1998, and Uhlsport has supplied the Tunisian team as well. From 2002 to 2011, Puma provided the Tunisian national football team kits. In 2019, the Italian company Kappa began making them.

Kit manufacturer

Period	Kit supplier	Ref
1956–1970	Local equipment
1970–1994	Adidas
1994–1995	Guidas
1995–1997	Kappa
1998–2000	Lotto
2000–2001	Uhlsport
2002–2011	Puma
2012–2015	Burrda Sport
2016–2018	Uhlsport
2019–	Kappa

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023

2023 AFCON qualification 17 June	Equatorial Guinea	1–0	Tunisia	Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
16:00 UTC+1	E. Nsue  85' (pen.)	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/06/17/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/equatorial-guinea/tunisia/3783076/		Stadium: Estadio de Malabo Referee: Ibrahim Kalilou Traore (Ivory Coast)

Friendly 20 June	Algeria	1–1	Tunisia	Annaba, Algeria
20:00 UTC+1	Mahrez  38' (pen.)	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/06/20/world/friendlies/algeria/tunisia/4078852/	Talbi  13'	Stadium: 19 May 1956 Stadium Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)

2023 AFCON qualification 7 September	Tunisia	3–0	Botswana	Tunis, Tunisia
20:00 UTC+1	Velaphi  60' (o.g.) Msakni  82', 90+3'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/09/07/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/tunisia/botswana/3783079/		Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)

Friendly 12 September	Egypt	1–3	Tunisia	Cairo, Egypt
20:00 UTC+3	Kamal  34'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/09/12/world/friendlies/egypt/tunisia/4095654/	Laïdouni  3' Fathy  8' (o.g.) Rafia  90+5'	Stadium: 30 June Stadium Referee: Ammar Ashkanani (Kuwait)

Friendly 13 October	South Korea	4–0	Tunisia	Seoul, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9	Lee Kang-in  55', 57' Meriah  66' (o.g.) Hwang Ui-jo  90+1'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/10/13/world/friendlies/korea-republic/tunisia/4220842/		Stadium: Seoul World Cup Stadium Referee: Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)

2023 Kirin Challenge Cup 17 October	Japan	2–0	Tunisia	Kobe, Japan
19:10 UTC+9	Furuhashi  43' J. Ito  69'	http://jfa.jp/samuraiblue/20231017/match_page.html#pankz		Stadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe Attendance: 26,529 Referee: Wang Di (China)

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 17 November	Tunisia	4–0	São Tomé and Príncipe	Tunis, Tunisia
20:00 UTC+1	Meriah  37' Msakni  53' Rafia  79' Ben Larbi  88'	https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017620		Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Joseph Odey Ogabor (Nigeria)

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 21 November	Malawi	0–1	Tunisia	Lilongwe, Malawi
15:00 UTC+2		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017623	Msakni  87' (pen.)	Stadium: Bingu National Stadium Attendance: 23,000 Referee: Aklesso Gnama (Togo)

2024

Friendly 6 January	Tunisia	0–0	Mauritania	Tunis, Tunisia
19:30 UTC+1		https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/06/world/friendlies/tunisia/mauritania/4295481/		Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi Referee: Abdulrazg Ahmed (Libya)

Friendly 10 January	Tunisia	2–0	Cape Verde	Tunis, Tunisia
18:30 UTC+1	Achouri  12' Msakni  53'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/10/world/friendlies/tunisia/cape-verde-islands/4294652/		Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi

2023 AFCON GS 16 January	Tunisia	0–1	Namibia	Korhogo, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0		https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/16/africa/africa-cup-of-nations/tunisia/namibia/4262317/	Hotto  88'	Stadium: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium Attendance: 13,991 Referee: Omar Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia)

2023 AFCON GS 20 January	Tunisia	1–1	Mali	Korhogo, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0	Rafia  20'	https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/match-centre?competition=190&season=2023&match=2411931	Sinayoko  10'	Stadium: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium Attendance: 18,130 Referee: Daniel Nii Laryea (Ghana)

2023 AFCON GS 24 January	South Africa	0–0	Tunisia	Korhogo, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0		https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/match-centre?competition=190&season=2023&match=2411933		Stadium: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium Attendance: 12,847 Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)

2024 ACUD Cup 23 March	Tunisia	0–0 (4–5 pen)	Croatia	Cairo, Egypt
22:00 UTC+2		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/506/289376/289377/400017966		Stadium: Cairo International Stadium Referee: Mohamed Maarouf (Egypt)
		Penalties
	*Ben Romdhane Laïdouni Abdi Jelassi Ltaief Jaziri Haddadi		* Vlašić Kramarić Petković Majer Mario Pašalić Juranović Marco Pašalić

2024 ACUD Cup 26 March	New Zealand	0–0 (2–4 pen)	Tunisia	Cairo, Egypt
22:00 UTC+2		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/506/289376/289377/400017969		Stadium: Cairo International Stadium, Cairo Referee: Ahmed El Ghandour (Egypt)
		Penalties
	*Waine Barbarouses Just Rufer		* Ben Romdhane Laïdouni Abdi Ghram

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification June	Tunisia	v	Equatorial Guinea	Tunis, Tunisia
				Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification June	Namibia	v	Tunisia

Current staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Montasser Louhichi (caretaker)
Assistant Coaches	Anis Boussaïdi
Goalkeeping Coach	Chedly Mabrouki
Fitness Coaches	Anis Chaalali Anas Kazouz
Sporting Director	Slim Ben Othman
Team Administrator	Hussein Jenayah

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2024 FIFA Series.

Information correct as of 23 March 2023, after the match against Croatia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Mouez Hassen	(1995-03-05) 5 March 1995 (age 29)	21	0	Club Africain
16	1GK	Aymen Dahmen	(1997-01-28) 28 January 1997 (age 27)	16	0	Al Hazem
22	1GK	Bechir Ben Saïd	(1992-11-29) 29 November 1992 (age 31)	18	0	US Monastir
2	2DF	Ali Abdi	(1993-12-20) 20 December 1993 (age 30)	25	2	Caen
3	2DF	Amin Cherni	(2001-07-07) 7 July 2001 (age 23)	1	0	Laval
4	2DF	Nader Ghandri	(1995-02-18) 18 February 1995 (age 29)	11	0	Akhmat Grozny
6	2DF	Dylan Bronn	(1995-06-19) 19 June 1995 (age 29)	39	2	Servette
13	2DF	Hamza Jelassi	(1991-09-29) 29 September 1991 (age 33)	2	0	Étoile du Sahel
15	2DF	Oussama Haddadi	(1992-01-28) 28 January 1992 (age 32)	31	0	Greuther Fürth
20	2DF	Ghaith Zaalouni	(2002-05-06) 6 May 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Club Africain
21	2DF	Wajdi Kechrida	(1995-11-05) 5 November 1995 (age 29)	36	0	Atromitos
24	2DF	Hamza Mathlouthi	(1992-07-25) 25 July 1992 (age 32)	36	1	Zamalek
26	2DF	Alaa Ghram	(2001-07-24) 24 July 2001 (age 23)	2	0	Club Sfaxien
5	3MF	Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane	(1999-09-06) 6 September 1999 (age 25)	37	1	Ferencváros
8	3MF	Hamza Rafia	(1999-04-22) 22 April 1999 (age 25)	29	3	Lecce
12	3MF	Samy Chouchane	(2003-09-05) 5 September 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Brighton & Hove Albion U21
14	3MF	Aïssa Laïdouni	(1996-12-13) 13 December 1996 (age 27)	44	2	Union Berlin
17	3MF	Ellyes Skhiri (captain)	(1995-05-10) 10 May 1995 (age 29)	65	3	Eintracht Frankfurt
19	3MF	Mootez Zaddem	(2001-01-05) 5 January 2001 (age 23)	2	0	Al Masry
23	3MF	Faissal Mannai	(1996-02-03) 3 February 1996 (age 28)	0	0	US Monastir
25	3MF	Hadj Mahmoud	(2000-04-24) 24 April 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Lugano
7	4FW	Elias Achouri	(1999-02-10) 10 February 1999 (age 25)	14	1	Copenhagen
9	4FW	Haythem Jouini	(1993-05-07) 7 May 1993 (age 31)	11	2	Stade Tunisien
10	4FW	Elias Saad	(1999-12-27) 27 December 1999 (age 24)	0	0	FC St Pauli
11	4FW	Seifeddine Jaziri	(1993-02-12) 12 February 1993 (age 31)	35	10	Zamalek
18	4FW	Sayfallah Ltaief	(2000-04-22) 22 April 2000 (age 24)	11	0	Winterthur

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Amenallah Memmiche	(2004-04-20) 20 April 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Espérance de Tunis	2024 FIFA SeriesWD
GK	Dries Arfaoui	(2004-11-23) 23 November 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Deinze	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
GK	Ali Jemal	(1990-06-09) 9 June 1990 (age 34)	0	0	Étoile du Sahel	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
GK	Moez Ben Cherifia	(1991-06-24) 24 June 1991 (age 33)	22	0	Espérance de Tunis	v.  Libya, 28 March 2023
DF	Yassine Meriah	(1993-07-02) 2 July 1993 (age 31)	79	4	Espérance de Tunis	2024 FIFA SeriesWD
DF	Ali Maâloul	(1990-01-01) 1 January 1990 (age 34)	90	3	Al Ahly	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	Montassar Talbi	(1998-05-26) 26 May 1998 (age 26)	40	2	Lorient	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	Yan Valery	(1999-02-22) 22 February 1999 (age 25)	8	0	Angers	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	Mortadha Ben Ouanes	(1994-07-02) 2 July 1994 (age 30)	6	0	Kasımpaşa	2023 Africa Cup of NationsWD
DF	Mohamed Dräger	(1996-06-25) 25 June 1996 (age 28)	39	3	Basel	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
DF	Ayman Ben Mohamed	(1994-12-08) 8 December 1994 (age 29)	14	0	Guingamp	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
DF	Omar Rekik	(2001-12-20) 20 December 2001 (age 22)	3	0	Servette	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
MF	Houssem Tka	(2000-08-16) 16 August 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Espérance de Tunis	2024 FIFA SeriesWD
MF	Anis Ben Slimane	(2001-03-16) 16 March 2001 (age 23)	35	4	Sheffield United	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Ferjani Sassi	(1992-03-18) 18 March 1992 (age 32)	79	6	Al-Gharafa	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
MF	Hannibal Mejbri	(2003-01-21) 21 January 2003 (age 21)	27	0	Sevilla	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
MF	Firas Ben Larbi	(1996-05-27) 27 May 1996 (age 28)	13	3	Sharjah	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
MF	Ahmed Khalil	(1994-12-21) 21 December 1994 (age 29)	6	0	Club Africain	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
MF	Haykeul Chikhaoui	(1996-09-04) 4 September 1996 (age 28)	1	0	Ajman Club	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
MF	Oussama Abid	(2002-08-10) 10 August 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Étoile du Sahel	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
MF	Mohamed Wael Derbali	(2003-06-18) 18 June 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Espérance de Tunis	v.  Algeria, 20 June 2023
MF	Ghailene Chaalali	(1994-02-28) 28 February 1994 (age 30)	31	1	Espérance de Tunis	v.  Libya, 28 March 2023INJ
MF	Chaïm El Djebali	(2004-02-07) 7 February 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Lyon	v.  Libya, 28 March 2023
FW	Bassem Srarfi	(1997-06-25) 25 June 1997 (age 27)	19	1	Club Africain	2024 FIFA SeriesINJ
FW	Youssef Msakni	(1990-10-28) 28 October 1990 (age 34)	102	23	Al Arabi	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Naïm Sliti	(1992-07-27) 27 July 1992 (age 32)	77	14	Al-Ahli	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Taha Yassine Khenissi	(1992-01-06)6 January 1992 (aged 32)	50	9	Kuwait SC	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Issam Jebali	(1991-12-25) 25 December 1991 (age 32)	16	2	Gamba Osaka	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
FW	Firas Chaouat	(1996-05-08) 8 May 1996 (age 28)	12	2	Al-Muharraq	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
FW	Anas Haj Mohamed	(2005-03-26) 26 March 2005 (age 19)	2	0	Parma	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
FW	Hamdi Labidi	(2002-06-09) 9 June 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Club Africain	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
FW	Oussama Bouguerra	(1998-10-17) 17 October 1998 (age 26)	1	0	Espérance de Tunis	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
FW	Youssef Abdelli	(1998-09-09) 9 September 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Étoile du Sahel	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
FW	Raki Aouani	(2004-09-11) 11 September 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Étoile du Sahel	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
FW	Bilel Mejri	(1996-02-06) 6 February 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Stade Tunisien	2023 Africa Cup of NationsPRE
FW	Amor Layouni	(1992-10-03) 3 October 1992 (age 32)	5	1	BK Häcken	v.  Egypt, 12 September 2023
FW	Ali Youssef	(2000-08-05) 5 August 2000 (age 24)	2	0	BK Häcken	v.  Egypt, 12 September 2023
FW	Mohamed Dhaoui	(2003-05-14) 14 May 2003 (age 21)	2	0	Al Ahly	v.  Algeria, 20 June 2023
Player records Main article: Tunisia national football team records and statistics Tunisia national football team all-time record Competitive record Overview Event 1st place 2nd place 3rd place Africa Cup of Nations 1 2 1 African Nations Championship 1 0 0 FIFA Arab Cup 1 1 0 Total 3 3 1 FIFA World Cup Main article: Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup Tunisia have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on six occasions, the first in 1978 where they finished ninth of 16. Between 1998 and 2006 they qualified for three straight World Cups, and wouldn't qualify again until 2018. However, Tunisia have never advanced from the group stage. Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup Africa Cup of Nations See also: Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations Tunisia have participated in the African Cup of Nations 21 times and holds the record for the number of consecutive appearances with 16 between 1994 and 2023. In 1965, Tunisia hosted the competition, as they reached the final and lost the title to Ghana 2–3 after extra time. In 1996, the team reached the final for the second time, but was defeated by hosts South Africa 0–2. They didn't win it all until 2004. Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations FIFA Confederations Cup Main article: Tunisia at the FIFA Confederations Cup Tunisia qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup on one occasion, a sole appearance in 2005, after winning the 2004 AFCON. They only managed to win against Australia 2–0. FIFA Confederations Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Ref 1992 Did not qualify 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 3 5 Squad 2009 Did not qualify 2013 2017 Total Group stage 1/10 3 1 0 2 3 5 — — African Nations Championship Main article: Tunisia at the African Nations Championship Tunisia have participated in two editions of the African Nations Championship, winning it in 2011 and reaching the quarter-finals in 2016. African Nations Championship Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad 2009 Did not qualify 2011 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 11 3 Squad 2014 Did not qualify 2016 Quarter–finals 8th 4 1 2 1 9 5 Squad 2018 Did not compete 2020 Withdrew after qualifying 2022 Did not enter Total Champions 2/7 10 5 4 1 20 8 — FIFA Arab Cup In 1963 Tunisia won the first edition of the Arab Nations Cup, played only in a group stage. Tunisia won all four matches and finished at the top. They exited in the group stage in 1988. The 2021 FIFA Arab Cup was the first version of the tournament under FIFA, with Tunisia reaching the final finishing behind Algeria. FIFA Arab Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Ref 1963 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 11 1 Squad 1964 Did not enter 1966 1985 1988 Group stage 7th 4 0 3 1 3 4 Squad 1992 Did not enter 1998 2002 2012 2021 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 0 2 9 6 Squad Total 1 Title 3/10 14 8 3 3 23 11 — — Mediterranean Games Tunisia participated in the football tournament in the Mediterranean Games 12 times, first in 1963 in Naples, Italy. Tunisia reached the final twice, in the 1971 edition in Izmir, Turkey and in 2001 in Tunis. Mediterranean Games record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Ref 1951 Part of France 1955 Did not enter 1959 1963 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 3 4 1967 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 4 3 1971 Silver medal 2nd 4 2 1 1 3 2 1975 Bronze medal 3rd 5 1 3 1 5 5 1979 Group stage 7th 3 0 1 2 2 4 1983 Group stage 7th 2 1 0 1 4 5 1987 Did not enter 1991 Group stage 7th 2 1 0 1 1 5 1993 Group stage 7th 3 1 0 2 2 5 1997 Did not enter 2001 Gold medal 1st 4 3 0 1 7 1 2005 Quarter-finals 7th 3 0 3 0 4 4 2009 Group stage 7th 4 2 1 1 6 5 2013 Bronze medal 3rd 5 3 1 1 10 5 2018 Did not enter 2022 Total 1 Title 1/12 39 15 10 14 49 46 — Minor Tournaments Summer Olympics record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Ref 1896 – 1952 Part of France 1956 Did not enter 1960 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 3 11 1964 Did not qualify 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 Group stage 13th 3 0 2 1 3 6 Since 1992 See Tunisia national under-23 football team Total Group stage 2/15 12 1 4 7 11 27 — All-Africa Games record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Ref 1965 Did not qualify 1973 Withdrew 1978 Withdrew after qualifying 1987 Group stage 8 4 0 0 4 1 8 1991 Silver medal 2 5 3 1 1 7 2 1995 Did not qualify 1999 Withdrew 2003 Did not enter 2007 Bronze medal 3 5 2 2 1 4 3 2011 Did not enter 2015 Withdrew 2019 Did not enter 2023 To be determined Total Runners-up 2/10 14 5 3 6 12 13 — Arab Games record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Ref 1953 Did not enter 1957 Silver medal 2nd 5 3 0 2 14 13 1961 Did not enter 1965 1976 1985 Group stage 5th 3 2 1 0 7 2 1997 Did not enter 1999 2007 2011 Total Runners-up 2/10 8 5 1 2 21 15 — Other records Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Ref 1962 Tripoli Fair Tournament Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 6 9 — 1963 Friendship Games Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 0 4 9 1965 Tripoli Fair Tournament Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 4 2 1966 Tripoli Fair Tournament Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 0 3 1973 Palestine Cup of Nations Champions 1st 6 6 0 0 19 3 1974 Iran International Tournament Group stage 6th 2 0 1 1 0 2 1974 Kuneitra Cup Third place 3rd 7 4 0 3 10 9 1975 Palestine Cup of Nations Group stage 5th 2 1 1 0 4 1 1984–85 Friendship Games Third place 3rd 2 1 0 2 2 6 1988 Malta International Tournament Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 1 10 7 November Cup 1991 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 11 3 7 November Cup 1993 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 6 1 1994 Malta International Tournament Third place 3rd 3 0 2 1 2 5 7 November Cup 1995 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 4 1 1997 LG Cup Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 5 1 2003 Tunis Four Nations Tournament Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 3 2 2006 LG Cup Runners-up 2nd 2 1 1 0 3 0 2011 Catalonia International Trophy Champions 1st 1 0 1 0 0 0 2015 Kirin Challenge Cup Runners-up 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 2 2016 Catalonia International Trophy Champions 1st 1 0 1 0 3 3 2022 Kirin Cup Soccer Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 5 0 2023 Kirin Challenge Cup Fifth place 5th 1 0 0 1 0 2 2024 ACUD Cup Third place 3rd 2 0 2 0 0 0 Total 10 Titles 1st 58 31 11 16 92 74 — Head-to-head record Tunisia national football team all-time record Honours Main article: Tunisia national football team honours Throughout its history, the Tunisian national team has won four official titles, the most important of which remains the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2011 African Nations Championship. It also won the gold medal at the 2001 Mediterranean Games and 1963 Arab Cup. The team has also won ten friendly titles, including international friendly tournaments such as 1973 Palestine Cup of Nations, Catalonia International Trophy in 2011 and 2016, 7th November Cup three times in 1991, 1993 and 1995, Tripoli Fair Tournament in 1965, 2003 Tunis Four Nations Tournament, 1997 LG Cup and the 2022 Kirin Cup Soccer. Official competitions Africa Cup of Nations Champions: 2004 Runner-up: 1965, 1996 Third-place: 1962 African Nations Championship Champions: 2011 FIFA Arab Cup 1 Champions: 1963 2 Runner-up: 2021 Mediterranean Games Gold medal: 2001 Silver medal: 1971 Bronze medal: 1975, 2013 African Games Silver medal: 1991 Bronze medal: 2007 Arab Games 2 Silver Medal: 1957 Awards African National Team of the Year 1 First place: 1995, 1999, 2004, 2005 2 Second place: 1996, 1997 Minor competitions 7th November Cup 1 Champions: 1991, 1993, 1995 Catalonia International Trophy 1 Champions: 2011, 2016 LG Cup 1 Champions: 1997 2 Runner-up: 2006 Tripoli Fair Tournament 1 Champions: 1965 3 Third-place: 1962 Kirin Cup Soccer 1 Champions: 2022 Palestine Cup of Nations 1 Champions: 1973 Tunis Four Nations Tournament 1 Champions: 2003 Friendship Games 2 Runner-up: 1963 3 Third-place: 1984–85 Kirin Challenge Cup 2 Runner-up: 2015 Malta International Tournament 3 Third-place: 1994 Kuneitra Cup 3 Third-place: 1974 ACUD Cup 3 Third-place: 2024 See also In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Túnez para niños Tunisian Football Federation Tunisia A' national football team Tunisia national under-23 football team Tunisia national under-20 football team Tunisia national under-17 football team Tunisia national under-15 football team Tunisia women's national football team Tunisia women's national under-20 football team Tunisia women's national under-17 football team Other football codes Tunisia national minifootball team Tunisia national futsal team Tunisia national beach soccer team Tunisia national American football team