Tunisia’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been marked by a strong political intervention after President Kais Saied delivered a motivational address to the national team following their 5-0 defeat to Belgium in a recent friendly.
The Tunisian squad, known as the “Eagles of Carthage,” were received at Carthage Palace on Sunday, 7 June, before departing for their World Cup campaign in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The North African side will be making their seventh appearance at the World Cup finals and have been drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden.
Despite the heavy loss to Belgium in their final warm-up match, the president used the meeting to urge players to reset mentally ahead of the tournament.
“Forget the 5-0 defeat” – Saied urges mental reset
Addressing the squad, President Saied called on the players to move past the disappointment of the friendly defeat and instead use it as motivation.
Speaking directly to the team, including star midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, he said: “Forget this 5-0 loss! This loss should give you a new push to win, and it will not discourage you.”
He added that the defeat should be viewed as a catalyst for improvement rather than a setback, stressing the importance of psychological strength in tournament football.
“This loss will give you new determination and greater strength to win. You have trained and prepared, but the most important training is mental training, when you enter the tournament with the culture of a winner, not the culture of a loser.”
Focus on winning mentality over calculations
President Saied also encouraged the squad to adopt a more aggressive approach in matches, warning against overly cautious tactical thinking.
He told the players of coach Sabri Lamouchi to approach every game with the intention of winning, rather than relying on group-stage calculations or results elsewhere.
“We must enter the competition without calculations, such as winning by one goal and waiting to see what the other competitor will do. If it is a draw, we will qualify, and if it is a win, we will not qualify. Rather, we must play football in order to win.”
‘Participation is not enough’, says president
Saied further insisted that Tunisia’s football ambitions must evolve beyond simply reaching the tournament, stressing that the objective should now be competitive success.
“The era of participating in the World Cup for the sake of participation only is over,” he said.
He added: “You must go to the tournament with the idea that I am going to the tournament in order to win. We should not be satisfied with just qualifying for the first round, but we must participate in order to win, and God willing, Tunisia will be victorious in all fields.”
His comments reflect growing expectations around the Tunisian national team as they prepare for their seventh appearance at the World Cup finals.
Tunisia depart for Mexico ahead of Group F opener
Following the meeting at Carthage Palace, the Tunisian squad departed on Sunday for Mexico, where they will continue their final preparations before the start of the tournament.
Tunisia are scheduled to begin their World Cup campaign on 15 June with a Group F fixture against Sweden.
They will then face further group-stage challenges against the Netherlands and Japan as they aim to progress beyond the opening round.
The team’s preparations continue under the shadow of their heavy defeat to Belgium, but the president’s intervention has placed renewed emphasis on confidence, ambition and mentality ahead of their World Cup journey.
