Tunisia’s seventh appearance at the FIFA World Cup ended in nightmare fashion after they failed to register a single point in the group stage.
The Netherlands crushed them 3-1 on Friday morning to finish top of Group F and set up a thrilling knockout clash with Morocco on Tuesday in Monterrey.
Of the 10 African nations that qualified for the 2026 World Cup in North America, Tunisia became the first to be eliminated.
They suffered a 5-1 defeat to Sweden, a heavy 4-0 loss to Japan, before the Dutch completed their miserable campaign with a 3-1 victory in the final group match.
Tunisia vs Netherlands: Dutch set up knockout clash with Morocco
The team, which made history in 1978 by becoming the first African nation to win a World Cup match, had hoped for a far better tournament this summer.
Instead, they bowed out after conceding 12 goals in three matches. French head coach Sabri Lamouchi was sacked following the opening 5-1 defeat to Sweden, but the change failed to inspire a turnaround.
Tunisia exited at the group stage once again, mirroring each of their previous six World Cup appearances.
Veteran French coach Herve Renard was appointed last week after Lamouchi’s dismissal following the team’s opening hammering by Sweden in Mexico.
However, he was unable to halt the slide as Tunisia, who had cruised through qualifying without conceding a single goal.
The 57-year-old offered a blunt assessment of Tunisia’s shortcomings.
“We were not at the level for this World Cup,” he said. “This is clear. There is no discussion.
“It’s a big tournament with very good teams, especially in this group. It was a very tough group. And now, the federation of Tunisia needs to sit down and analyse everything.”
On Friday at Kansas City Stadium, Ronald Koeman’s men raced into a two-goal lead thanks to some poor defending from the North Africans.
Ellyes Skhiri turned Denzel Dumfries’ cross into his own net before Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey fired home from close range just minutes later.
That effectively sealed the result for the Netherlands, whose sea of orange-clad supporters entertained themselves with Mexican waves midway through the first half.
Tunisia pulled one back after the break, but the Dutch restored their two-goal cushion when Jan Paul van Hecke headed home shortly after the hour mark.
The Netherlands finished their group campaign with seven points, edging Japan to top spot in Group F. They will now face Morocco in the Round of 16 in Monterrey on Monday.
Japan drew 1-1 with Sweden in Arlington, Texas, to secure second place, while the Scandinavian side also progressed as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
Koeman warned against looking too far ahead, despite the possibility of a last-16 showdown against either South Africa or co-hosts Canada.
“We need to prepare for Morocco first because it will be a big game,” he said.
“It’s a good team with a lot of quality and they can score easily. We know that from Dutch football.”
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026