Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup

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Tunisia national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

Tunisia has participated six times in the FIFA World Cup, the biggest men's football event in the world, in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022. Tunisia has never been able to advance past the group stage on any of these occasions; they have played eighteen games, winning three, with five draws and ten defeats. The selection played its first qualifying match for a World Cup on 30 October 1960 against Morocco at the Stade d'Honneur, Casablanca.

Wahbi Khazri is the Tunisian player who has scored the most goals in the competition with three: two in 2018 and one in the 2022 edition. Riadh Bouazizi and Kaies Ghodhbane are the two Tunisian players with the most matches played (eight games each in 1998, 2002 and 2006).

Summary[edit]

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA Ref.
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member [1]
Italy 1934 [2]
France 1938 [3]
Brazil 1950 [4]
Switzerland 1954 [5]
Sweden 1958 [6]
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 3 1 1 1 4 4 [7]
England 1966 Withdrew Withdrew [8]
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 5 1 4 0 4 3 [9]
West Germany 1974 4 1 1 2 5 5 [10]
Argentina 1978 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 3 2 Squad 10 4 4 2 15 9 [11]
Spain 1982 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 2 [12]
Mexico 1986 8 4 0 4 11 9 [13]
Italy 1990 10 4 1 5 10 11 [14]
United States 1994 6 3 3 0 14 2 [15]
France 1998 Group stage 26th 3 0 1 2 1 4 Squad 8 7 1 0 15 2 [16]
South Korea Japan 2002 Group stage 29th 3 0 1 2 1 5 Squad 10 8 2 0 28 5 [17]
Germany 2006 Group stage 24th 3 0 1 2 3 6 Squad 10 6 3 1 25 9 [18]
South Africa 2010 Did not qualify 12 7 3 2 18 7 [19]
Brazil 2014 8 4 3 1 14 10 [20]
Russia 2018 Group stage 24th 3 1 0 2 5 8 Squad 8 6 2 0 15 6 [21]
Qatar 2022 Group stage 21st 3 1 1 1 1 1 Squad 8 5 2 1 12 2 [22]
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 2 2 0 0 5 0
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Group stage 6/16 18 3 5 10 14 26 — 114 64 30 20 197 86 —


By match[edit]

Khazri playing with Tunisia against Panama at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
By match
World Cup Round Opponent Score Result Tunisia scorers Man of the match
1978 Group 2  Mexico 3–1 W Kaabi, Ghommidh, Dhouieb
 Poland 0–1 L
 West Germany 0–0 D
1998 Group G  England 0–2 L
 Colombia 0–1 L
 Romania 1–1 D Souayah
2002 Group H  Russia 0–2 L
 Belgium 1–1 D Bouzaiene Raouf Bouzaiene
 Japan 0–2 L
2006 Group H  Saudi Arabia 2–2 D Jaziri, Jaïdi Ziad Jaziri
 Spain 1–3 L Mnari
 Ukraine 0–1 L
2018 Group G  England 1–2 L Sassi
 Belgium 2–5 L Bronn, Khazri
 Panama 2–1 W F. Ben Youssef, Khazri Fakhreddine Ben Youssef
2022 Group D  Denmark 0–0 D Aïssa Laïdouni
 Australia 0–1 L
 France 1–0 W Khazri Wahbi Khazri

FIFA World Cup record[edit]

As of 2022, Tunisia have never advanced past the group stage of a World Cup. They have won three matches: against Mexico in 1978, Panama in 2018, and France in 2022.

1978 FIFA World Cup[edit]

Tunisia at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.

Tunisia's first World Cup was the 1978 competition held in Argentina. They became the first African team to win a World Cup game, defeating Mexico 3–1 in Rosario.[23] A 1–0 defeat to 1974 bronze-medalists Poland followed. Although The Eagles Of Carthage then held reigning champions West Germany to a 0–0 draw, they failed to advance. Tunisia failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup again until twenty years later.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Poland 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 5 Advance to second round
2  West Germany 3 1 2 0 6 0 +6 4
3  Tunisia 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 3
4  Mexico 3 0 0 3 2 12 −10 0
Source: FIFA

Tunisia v Mexico[edit]

Tunisia 3–1 Mexico
Kaabi 55'
Ghommidh 79'
Dhouieb 87'		 Report Vázquez Ayala 45' (pen.)
Attendance: 17,396

Poland v Tunisia[edit]

Poland 1–0 Tunisia
Lato 43' Report
Attendance: 9,624

West Germany v Tunisia[edit]

West Germany 0–0 Tunisia
Report
Attendance: 30,667

1998 FIFA World Cup[edit]

Adel Sellimi's team were beaten 2–0 by England,[24][25] and 1–0 by Colombia[26] to eliminate them at the group stage. Their only point was in a 1–1 draw with Romania.[27]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Romania 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  England 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6
3  Colombia 3 1 0 2 1 3 −2 3
4  Tunisia 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
Source: FIFA

England vs Tunisia[edit]

England 2–0 Tunisia
Shearer 43'
Scholes 89'		 Report
Attendance: 54,587

Assistant referees:
Hyun Jeom-young (South Korea)
Dramane Dante (Mali)
Fourth official:
Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)

Colombia vs Tunisia[edit]

Colombia 1–0 Tunisia
Preciado 83' Report
Attendance: 29,800

Assistant referees:
Erich Schneider (Germany)
Evzen Amler (Czech Republic)
Fourth official:
László Vágner (Hungary)

Romania vs Tunisia[edit]

Romania 1–1 Tunisia
Moldovan 72' Report Souayah 10' (pen.)
Attendance: 77,000

Assistant referees:
Jacek Pocięgiel (Poland)
Yuri Dupanov (Belarus)
Fourth official:
Ramesh Ramdhan (Trinidad and Tobago)

2002 FIFA World Cup[edit]

Tunisia reached their second successive FIFA World Cup (and third overall), which was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. They started with a 2–0 loss against Russia, but a Raouf Bouzaiene free-kick gave them a 1–1 draw against Belgium in their second match. Their final group game resulted in a 2–0 defeat to co-hosts Japan, meaning they were knocked out in the group stages yet again.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan (H) 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Belgium 3 1 2 0 6 5 +1 5
3  Russia 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
4  Tunisia 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
(H) Hosts

All times local (UTC+9)

Russia v Tunisia[edit]

Russia 2–0 Tunisia
Titov 59'
Karpin 64' (pen.)		 Report
Attendance: 30,957

Man of the Match:
Yuri Nikiforov (Russia)

Assistant referees:
Michael Ragoonath (Trinidad and Tobago)
Paul Smith (New Zealand)
Fourth official:
Antonio López Nieto (Spain)

Tunisia v Belgium[edit]

Tunisia 1–1 Belgium
Bouzaiene 17' Report Wilmots 13'
Attendance: 52,000

Man of the Match:
Raouf Bouzaiene (Tunisia)

Assistant referees:
Paul Smith (New Zealand)
Komaleeswaran Sankar (India)
Fourth official:
Gilles Veissière (France)

Tunisia v Japan[edit]

Tunisia 0–2 Japan
Report Morishima 48'
Nakata 75'
Attendance: 45,213

Man of the Match:
Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan)

Assistant referees:
Frédéric Arnault (France)
Haidar Koleit (Lebanon)
Fourth official:
René Ortubé (Bolivia)

2006 FIFA World Cup[edit]

Tunisia vs Ukraine match during 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Tunisia drew their opening game against Saudi Arabia 2–2, but lost their second match to Spain 3–1 and lost their last group match to Ukraine 1–0, ending their 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 3 3 0 0 8 1 +7 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Ukraine 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1 6
3  Tunisia 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
4  Saudi Arabia 3 0 1 2 2 7 −5 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

All times local (CEST/UTC+2)

Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia[edit]

Tunisia 2–2 Saudi Arabia
Jaziri 23'
Jaïdi 90+2'		 Report Al-Qahtani 57'
Al-Jaber 84'
Attendance: 66,000
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Man of the Match:
Ziad Jaziri (Tunisia)

Assistant referees:
Nathan Gibson (Australia)
Ben Wilson (Australia)
Fourth official:
Carlos Chandía (Chile)
Fifth official:
Christian Julio (Chile)

Spain vs Tunisia[edit]

Spain 3–1 Tunisia
Raúl 71'
Torres 76', 90+1' (pen.)		 Report Mnari 8'
Attendance: 52,000
Referee: Carlos Simon (Brazil)
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Man of the Match:
Xabi Alonso (Spain)

Assistant referees:
Aristeu Tavares (Brazil)
Ednílson Corona (Brazil)
Fourth official:
Carlos Chandía (Chile)
Fifth official:
Christian Julio (Chile)

Ukraine vs Tunisia[edit]

Ukraine 1–0 Tunisia
Shevchenko 70' (pen.) Report
Attendance: 72,000
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Man of the Match:
Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Ukraine)

Assistant referees:
Amelio Andino (Paraguay)
Manuel Bernal (Paraguay)
Fourth official:
Marco Rodríguez (Mexico)
Fifth official:
Hamdi Al Kadri (Syria)

2018 FIFA World Cup[edit]

Tunisia vs England[edit]

Tunisia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The two teams had met in two matches, including one game at the 1998 FIFA World Cup group stage, an England 2–0 victory.[28]

England scored in the 11th minute when Mouez Hassen stopped a John Stones' header from a corner from the left, but could not save a Harry Kane follow-up from close range. Hassen was substituted four minutes later for Farouk Ben Mustapha due to an injury earlier in the game, after he had a collision with Jesse Lingard. Lingard then mishit a volley from Ashley Young's cross to the far post.[29] After 10 minutes, Ferjani Sassi equalised from the penalty spot after Kyle Walker was penalised for an elbow on Fakhreddine Ben Youssef.[30] Kane had an appeal for a penalty waved away within five minutes of the restart as he was seemingly impeded by a pair of Tunisia players at a corner.[31] In the additional time, Harry Maguire flicked a Kieran Trippier corner from the right into the path of Kane, who headed it inside the goal after being left free at the back post.[29][32]

England scored more than once for the first time in 10 World Cup matches, since a 2–2 draw against Sweden in 2006. Kane became the first England player to score a brace in a World Cup match since Gary Lineker against Cameroon in 1990.[30]

Tunisia 1–2 England
 Report
Attendance: 41,064[33]

Man of the Match:
Harry Kane (England)[35]

Assistant referees:[34]
Alexander Guzmán (Colombia)
Cristian de la Cruz (Colombia)
Fourth official:
Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica)
Reserve assistant referee:
Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japan)
Video assistant referee:
Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Gery Vargas (Bolivia)
Emerson de Carvalho (Brazil)
Tiago Martins (Portugal)

Belgium vs Tunisia[edit]

Belgium vs Tunisia

The two teams had faced each other in three matches, including one game at the 2002 FIFA World Cup group stage, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[28]

Just 6 minutes into the game, Syam Ben Youssef's late challenge on Eden Hazard was deemed, with the use of VAR, to have been just inside the area and he stepped up to score the penalty into the bottom-left corner. Ten minutes later, Dries Mertens won possession just inside the Tunisia half before driving forward and passing the ball to Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku then shot a low strike across Farouk Ben Mustapha into the bottom-right corner. Wahbi Khazri's free-kick from the left was met by Dylan Bronn, who flashed a header past Thibaut Courtois. Thomas Meunier found Lukaku inside the area, which he clipped over the onrushing Mustapha. Toby Alderweireld's long pass from defence was taken on the chest by Hazard, who then rounded Mustapha to stroke into an empty net. Michy Batshuayi met Youri Tielemans' cross at the back post with a controlled half-volley to score Belgium's 5th. Khazri scored deep into stoppage time after a swivel in the box.[36][37]

Lukaku became the first player since Diego Maradona to score back-to-back braces in consecutive world cup games.[38] Hazard's penalty was Belgium's second quickest goal in a World Cup match (5:59), behind only Léopold Anoul's goal against England in 1954, in the fifth minute.[39] For Tunisia, it has registered as their worst defeat ever in their World Cup history.

Belgium 5–2 Tunisia
 Report
Attendance: 44,190[40]

Man of the Match:
Eden Hazard (Belgium)[42]

Assistant referees:[41]
Corey Rockwell (United States)
Juan Zumba (El Salvador)
Fourth official:
Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
Reserve assistant referee:
Nicolás Tarán (Uruguay)
Video assistant referee:
Mark Geiger (United States)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Bastian Dankert (Germany)
Joe Fletcher (Canada)
Felix Zwayer (Germany)

Panama vs Tunisia[edit]

Panama vs Tunisia

The two teams had never met before.[43] Both teams had already been eliminated from the tournament before the match.

Panama took the lead in the 33rd minute, after a José Rodríguez shot from outside the penalty area took a deflection off Yassine Meriah and nestle in the back of the net. In the 51st minute, Naïm Sliti found Wahbi Khazri down the right and the latter's low cross was converted by the Fakhreddine Ben Youssef just six yards out. At the 66 minute mark, Khazri finished off a cross from the left by Oussama Haddadi from close range at the back post.[44][45]

Tunisia won a World Cup match after 40 years, since their 3–1 victory over Mexico in 1978. Panama became the first nation since Serbia & Montenegro and Togo in 2006 to lose each of their first three World Cup games. Panama's goal means this is the first World Cup tournament in which every side has scored at least two goals in the competition. Meriah's own goal was the 50th in World Cup history.[46]

Panama 1–2 Tunisia
 Report
Attendance: 37,168[47]