Tunisia's National Football Team to Learn 2026 World Cup Opponents
The Tunisian national football team will discover its opponents for the 2026 World Cup, to be held in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, during the draw ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Friday, December 5, 2025.
Placement in Pot 3
Tunisia, placed in pot 3, will be alongside Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Norway, Panama, Scotland, Paraguay, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, and South Africa. Tunisian fans hope that the Carthage Eagles will be integrated into a balanced group, facilitating their qualification for the second round, a first in Tunisian football history.
Tunisia's World Cup History
Tunisia has participated in six World Cups: 1978 (Argentina), 1998 (France), 2002 (South Korea/Japan), 2006 (Germany), 2018 (Russia), and 2022 (Qatar). The team validated its qualification for 2026 after an exceptional campaign, totaling 28 points out of 30 possible in the qualifiers, with nine wins and one draw, and conceding no goals.
Memorable Moments
One notable achievement was in 1978 in Argentina, when the team led by Abdelmajid Chetali offered African and Arab football its first World Cup victory by beating Mexico 3-1, followed by a draw against Germany (0-0) and a narrow defeat against Poland (0-1). This success led FIFA to increase the African quota to two teams from 1982.
Recent Participation
The last Tunisian participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was also notable, with a win against France (1-0), a draw against Denmark (0-0), and a defeat against Australia (0-1), without advancing to the second round.
2026 World Cup Details
The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, on 16 modern stadiums spread across 11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada. The opening match will be held at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico, while the final will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
FIFA Team Ranking
FIFA has published the team ranking before the draw:
- Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina (title holder), France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
- Pot 2: Morocco, Croatia, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
- Pot 3: Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Norway, Panama, Scotland, Paraguay, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, South Africa
- Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, plus six teams from the playoffs (four European and two global)
Record Arab Participation
The tournament will see the participation of eight Arab teams for the first time, a historic record. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group, as well as the eight best third-placed teams, will qualify for the round of 32.
