Tunisia coach Sabri Lamouchi has announced his final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the North African side prepares for another attempt to reach the knockout stage of the competition for the first time in its history.
The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first World Cup to feature an expanded 48-team format. Tunisia secured one of Africa’s nine automatic qualification places to book their spot at the finals.
The Carthage Eagles face a difficult challenge after being drawn in Group F alongside Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands, runners-up at the 2010 tournament.
Tunisia will begin their campaign against Sweden on 15 June before taking on Japan and the Netherlands in their remaining group matches.
Lamouchi has selected a squad that combines established internationals with emerging talent as Tunisia aim to improve on previous World Cup performances.
Among the notable inclusions are midfielder Ellyes Skhiri, Manchester United-linked playmaker Hannibal Mejbri, forward Elyes Saad, striker Firas Chaouat and defender Ali Abdi.
Tunisia are appearing at the World Cup for the seventh time, having previously competed in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022. Despite becoming one of Africa’s most regular representatives on football’s biggest stage, the country has never progressed beyond the group phase.
One of Tunisia’s most memorable moments at a recent World Cup came in 2022 when they defeated defending champions France 1-0, a result widely regarded as one of the nation’s finest achievements at the tournament.
The squad announcement underlines Tunisia’s ambition to finally break their long-standing World Cup barrier as preparations continue ahead of the competition next year.
In goal, Lamouchi has selected Aymen Dahmen, Sadok Ben Hassen and Abdelmoumen M’barek Chamakh.
The defensive options include Montassar Talbi, Dylan Bronn, Omar Rekik, Ali Abdi Arous, Rached Chikhaoui, Yan Valery, Mouhamed Neffati, Ali Abdi and Mohamed Amine Ben Hmida.
Midfield responsibilities will fall to players such as Ellyes Skhiri, Mohamed Haj Mahmoud, Rani Khedira, Hannibal Mejbri, Anis Ben Slimane, Mahmoud Ben Ouanes and Ismaïl Gharbi.
In attack, Tunisia will rely on Kais Ayari, Sayfallah Ltaief Tounekti, Elias Achouri, Firas Chaouat, Hatem Mastouri, Elyes Saad and Rayen Elloumi.
With the World Cup approaching, Tunisia will hope the blend of experienced internationals and younger players can help the team make history by advancing beyond the group stage for the first time.
