Tunisia World Cup 2026 Squad: Final 26-Player List

No qualifying campaign in this World Cup cycle was quite like Tunisia’s. Sabri Lamouchi revealed the Tunisia World Cup 2026 Squad on May 15, 2026, naming 26 players after ten CAF Group H matches that produced 22 goals scored and zero conceded. Tunisia became the first team in World Cup qualifying history to reach the finals without conceding a single goal. They sealed their spot on September 8, 2025.

The Carthage Eagles land in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden. It’s their seventh World Cup appearance and their third in a row. This squad doesn’t have any illusions about the size of the task. But a team that didn’t concede once in qualifying can cause problems for anyone.

Tunisia Quick Facts:

• Country: Tunisia
• Confederation: CAF
• Nickname: Carthage Eagles
• Head Coach: Sabri Lamouchi
• Captain: Ellyes Skhiri
• Group: Group F
• Group Opponents: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden
• First Match: June 14 vs Sweden, Monterrey Stadium, 10:00 PM ET
• Last Group Match: June 25 vs Netherlands, Kansas City Stadium, 7:00 PM ET
• FIFA Ranking: 44th (April 1, 2026)
• World Cup Appearance: Seventh
• Kit Manufacturer: Kappa

Tunisia Squad List for World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers

• Aymen Dahmen, 29, CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)
• Sabri Ben Hessen, 29, Étoile du Sahel (Tunisia)
• Mouhib Chamakh, 24, Club Africain (Tunisia)

Defenders

• Montassar Talbi, 28, Lorient (France)
• Dylan Bronn, 30, Servette (Switzerland)
• Ali Abdi, 32, OGC Nice (France)
• Yan Valery, 27, BSC Young Boys (Switzerland)
• Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida, 30, Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia)
• Moutaz Neffati, 21, IFK Norrköping (Sweden)
• Omar Rekik, 24, NK Maribor (Slovenia)
• Adem Arous, 21, Kasımpaşa (Turkey)
• Raed Chikhaoui, 22, US Monastir (Tunisia)

Midfielders

• Ellyes Skhiri (C), 31, Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
• Hannibal Mejbri, 23, Burnley (England)
• Anis Ben Slimane, 25, Norwich City (England)
• Mortadha Ben Ouanes, 31, Kasımpaşa (Turkey)
• Ismaël Gharbi, 22, FC Augsburg (Germany)
• Hadj Mahmoud, 26, FC Lugano (Switzerland)
• Rani Khedira, 32, 1. FC Union Berlin (Germany)

Forwards

• Elias Achouri, 27, FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
• Firas Chaouat, 30, Club Africain (Tunisia)
• Hazem Mastouri, 28, Dynamo Makhachkala (Russia)
• Elias Saad, 26, Hannover 96 (Germany)
• Sebastian Tounekti, 23, Celtic (Scotland)
• Khalil Ayari, 21, Paris Saint-Germain (France)
• Rayan Elloumi, 18, Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada)

Rayan Elloumi, 18, is the youngest player in the squad. Ali Abdi, 32, is the oldest. Skhiri’s 81 caps and Talbi’s 62 anchor the experienced end while Elloumi, Adem Arous, and Moutaz Neffati represent the next generation. Lamouchi kept his trust in players who delivered the clean-sheet qualifying run rather than gamble on untested names.

Twenty of the 26 players are based in European football. Germany leads with four players: Skhiri at Frankfurt, Gharbi at Augsburg, Khedira at Union Berlin, and Saad at Hannover. Only six players are based in the Tunisian domestic league. It’s a squad shaped almost entirely by the diaspora across European football’s second and third tiers.

Fixtures

Tunisia play all three group stage matches across Mexico and the United States. Local kick-off times are listed in both Eastern Time (ET) for North American host venues and Eastern European Time (EET) for fans watching in Tunisia. The full World Cup 2026 schedule covers all 104 matches.

Date	Match	Venue	Time (ET)	Time (EET)
June 14	Sweden vs Tunisia	Monterrey Stadium, Monterrey	10:00 PM	4:00 AM (June 15)
June 20	Tunisia vs Japan	Monterrey Stadium, Monterrey	12:00 AM	6:00 AM
June 25	Tunisia vs Netherlands	Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City	7:00 PM	1:00 AM (June 26)

The top two teams from each group advance directly. The EIGHT best third-placed teams also reach the Round of 32. For Tunisia, that eight-team third-place route is the most realistic path out of a tough group. Two good results from three games could be enough.

Sweden on June 14 is the most winnable game. Japan is more technically demanding but not unbeatable. The Netherlands game on June 25 is where Tunisia will likely need to defend well and stay compact. All three group stage games take place at venues where late-night local conditions won’t disadvantage either side.

Manager: Sabri Lamouchi

Sabri Lamouchi is 54 years old. Born in Lyon, France, to Tunisian parents, he holds dual French and Tunisian citizenship. The Tunisian Football Federation confirmed his appointment on January 14, 2026, signing him on a contract running to July 31, 2028.

As a player, Lamouchi had a well-travelled club career. He won the Ligue 1 title with Monaco in 2000, then played for Parma and Inter Milan in Serie A. France gave him 12 senior caps from 1996. He was part of the French squad for the 1996 UEFA European Championship.

His coaching career took him to Ivory Coast (2012 to 2014) and then into European club management. He came closest to a major achievement at Nottingham Forest in 2019/20, taking them within touching distance of a Championship playoff final before a collapse in the final weeks ended the run. The Tunisian Football Federation appointed Lamouchi on January 14, 2026, replacing Sami Trabelsi, who had been sacked ten days earlier following Tunisia’s AFCON 2025 exit to Mali on penalties. Tunisia had already secured World Cup qualification under Trabelsi in September 2025. Lamouchi inherited a qualified squad and has used the pre-tournament window to embed his system.

Lamouchi favours a 4-2-3-1 built on defensive discipline. He asks his midfield to press in structured waves rather than chase high up the pitch. Skhiri as the deeper of the two central midfielders is central to that system. Zero goals conceded in ten qualifying games shows the model works.

Star Player: Ellyes Skhiri

Ellyes Skhiri is 31 years old. The defensive midfielder plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. He joined Frankfurt in July 2023 after three strong seasons at 1. FC Köln and has been a consistent performer in one of the Bundesliga’s most pressing-intensive systems.

He holds 81 caps and four international goals for Tunisia, correct as of the May 2026 squad announcement. That total makes him the most-capped player in this squad. The Tunisia World Cup 2026 Squad travels to North America with Skhiri as its undisputed leader and the player the whole defensive structure is built around.

Skhiri’s value isn’t in statistics. He doesn’t score often or assist regularly. He covers ground, wins second balls, breaks up opposition build-up, and recycles possession cleanly. Frankfurt use him as the engine in their midfield press. Tunisia use him almost identically. Both systems trust him to do the invisible work that keeps teams compact.

Tunisia’s qualifying run of zero goals conceded owes a significant debt to how well Skhiri controls central zones. The Netherlands and Japan will test that control with higher-quality movement and combination play. His decision-making in defensive transitions will likely determine how far Tunisia go in Group F.

Key Players to Watch

Ismaël Gharbi

Ismaël Gharbi is 22 years old. The attacking midfielder plays for FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga and holds 15 caps and two international goals. He’s the youngest Bundesliga-based player in the squad. Gharbi creates in tight spaces, reads passing lanes quickly, and isn’t afraid to shoot from range when the opportunity opens.

Two qualifying goals show he can deliver in matches that matter. His link-up play in the final third gives Tunisia a creative option that their defensive shape doesn’t always hint at. Against Sweden or Japan in moments when Tunisia need a goal, Gharbi is the likeliest source of something unexpected.

Montassar Talbi

Montassar Talbi is 28 years old. The centre-back plays for Lorient in France and holds 62 caps, the most of any defender in this squad. His reading of the game and aerial dominance made him central to the clean-sheet qualifying campaign. Talbi doesn’t panic and doesn’t lose his position.

He’ll face the toughest challenge of his international career against the Netherlands and Japan. Both sides rotate runners and move the ball quickly through the lines. Talbi’s ability to cover ground and organise the defensive block will be tested. He’s handled it before. Group F is just a bigger stage.

Hannibal Mejbri

Hannibal Mejbri is 23 years old. The central midfielder plays for Burnley in the Premier League and holds 44 caps for Tunisia. Born in Alès, France, he’s the most recognisable Tunisian player among English football audiences. His energy levels don’t drop. Mejbri presses, recovers, and fights for every ball from start to finish.

He recorded one goal and three assists for Burnley in 2025/26. His ability to disrupt the opposition’s rhythm makes him a strong partner for Skhiri. If Tunisia are going to create problems for the Netherlands’ midfield, Mejbri’s pressing intensity and quick transitions are where that disruption begins.

Qualification Path & World Cup History

Tunisia entered CAF Group H alongside Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The record across ten matches: nine wins, one draw, zero losses, 22 goals scored, zero conceded. Tunisia completed a perfect defensive qualifying campaign, becoming the first side in World Cup history to qualify without conceding a goal across a full qualifying campaign.

They clinched qualification on September 8, 2025, through a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane scored in the 90th minute to confirm the spot. Tunisia then wrapped up the group stage with 28 points from a possible 30, their final match a 3-0 win over Namibia.

Tunisia’s World Cup history dates to 1978, when they became the first African and Arab national team to win a World Cup match, defeating Mexico 3-1 in their tournament debut in Argentina. That win remains one of African football’s landmark moments. The all-time record across six appearances stands at three wins, five draws, and ten losses from 18 matches. Every exit came in the group stage.

The 2022 edition in Qatar was Tunisia’s most bittersweet. They drew 0-0 with Denmark, lost 0-1 to Australia, and then beat defending champions France 1-0 in their final group game. Wahbi Khazri scored the goal. Denmark’s win over Australia on the same night sent Tunisia home despite the historic result. Group F 2026 is the chance to write a different ending.

What to Expect & Our Prediction

Lamouchi’s 4-2-3-1 is built on a compact defensive block with Skhiri and a partner screening the back four. Tunisia don’t give up space easily. The zero-goals-conceded qualifying record, built under the previous coaching setup, shows the defensive culture runs deeper than any single manager. The attacking output in CAF Group H came from varied sources, which suggests Tunisia have multiple weapons and don’t rely on a single striker.

The realistic weakness is going against opposition who can sustain pressure and create from wide areas. Japan’s movement and the Dutch combination play will create more difficulties than any CAF Group H side did. The Sweden match is Tunisia’s clearest path to points. A draw against Japan would be a strong result. The Netherlands game is where Tunisia will likely need all of their defensive discipline just to stay in it.

Match by match: Tunisia are expected to win against Sweden on June 14. The Japan fixture on June 20 looks like a draw. The Netherlands on June 25 likely goes against Tunisia. That outcome puts four points on the board, which stands a strong chance of being enough for one of the EIGHT best third-placed slots.

The best-case scenario is second place if Sweden stumble and Tunisia take points off Japan. More likely, the Carthage Eagles exit via the third-place route, which would still be their best World Cup result in three tournaments. Reaching the Round of 32 is the realistic ceiling and a genuine goal.

Tunisia World Cup 2026 Squad FAQs

The Tunisia World Cup 2026 Squad carries the weight of a remarkable qualifying campaign into Group F. Skhiri leads, Talbi defends, Gharbi creates, and Elloumi represents the future. Ten games without conceding a goal didn’t happen by accident.

Group F is the hardest draw Tunisia could have faced. But this squad didn’t arrive in North America by taking shortcuts.