In a complicated group, the Tunisians will have to fight against the current titleholders, France, as well as Denmark and Australia. Logically, the Tunisians should finish 3rd behind the two European nations. But we can’t see Tunisia getting past the group stages.
Tunisia has never passed the group stages of the World Cup despite competing in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2018. However, they are competing more and more regularly in the competition and are gaining a lot of experience at this level.
The World Cup qualification campaign:
Tunisia finished first in its qualification group with an honourable total of 13 points, winning 4 matches and conceding 1 draw and as many losses. Equatorial Guinea, Zambia and Mauritania finished behind the Tunisians, ruthless both offensively (11 goals scored) and defensively (2 goals conceded). Then, in the playoffs, Tunisia managed to overcome Mali (0-1, 0-0).
Tunisia have the makings of a good team, with some very experienced players who have taken part in the African Cup of Nations and previous World Cups. This is a nation that is getting better, having reached 35th place in FIFA’s rankings after making the quarter-finals in the 2021 African Cup of Nations and competing in the Russian World Cup four years ago.
Tunisia’s key players:
- Wahbi Khazri (31 years old). He is indisputably the best offensive player in the squad, with an interesting goalscoring record. The former AS Saint-Etienne attacker is a pillar of the team, and he demonstrates this regularly.
- Ferjani Sassi (30 years old). Having had an interesting 2018 World Cup, this Tunisian player cannot be overlooked either as a mainstay in the Tunisian starting 11, with more than 60 caps under his belt.
- Youssef Msakni (31 years old). The Winger has been in the squad for over six years and is coming up to 100 caps. He competed in the Russia World Cup and has won trophies with his country, including the African Cup of Nations in 2011.
