World Cup’s worst team all but confirmed after | Sports News

Tunisia concluded on the foot of Group F on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in spectacular fashion following a complete 3-1 loss to the Netherlands on Thursday evening. Midfielder Ellyes Skhiri’s own objective within the third minute marked the second-fastest own objective in match historical past, setting the tone for what would show a disastrous outing for the North African soccer powerhouse.

Across three matches, Tunisia netted two objectives whereas conceding 12 – the second-highest by any team in World Cup historical past – and ended with a -10 objective distinction, three inferior to Uzbekistan’s -7. The Central Asian nation nonetheless has one fixture remaining in opposition to DR Congo, but a three-goal deficit in opposition to a squad that has managed only one objective in two outings appears inconceivable.

Tunisia solely appointed coach Sabri Lamouchi in January earlier than dismissing him following a World Cup opening 5-1 thrashing by Sweden. This marks acquainted territory for the nation: the national team terminated former coach Henryk Kasperczak’s contract after two matches on the 1998 match. Meanwhile, the USMNT’s flawless run ended with a 3-2 defeat to Turkiye.

Broadcasters have highlighted the Eagles of Carthage’s spectacular report of clean sheets during qualifying, but the caliber of Libertia, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe did not fairly measure up. In 2022, Tunisia solely superior after securing a two-legged playoff victory in opposition to Mali 1-0 because of a weird own objective that may solely be characterised as self-sabotage.

In seven World Cup campaigns, the North African nation has by no means progressed past the group stage. New coach Herve Renard acknowledged after the defeat to the Netherlands that he is keen to proceed with the national team whereas criticizing his squad’s preparation. “We were not at the level for this World Cup,” he mentioned.

“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.” Following Tunisia’s 4-0 defeat to Japan, Norwich City midfielder Anis Ben Slimane appeared visibly pissed off concerning the managerial upheaval.

“It has not been easy. In the middle of the camp, there was a lot of trouble, and then a new manager came in during the tournament,” he defined. “You go from one hour having a whole staff of 15 people to another hour having a new manager with a new staff. I am not saying that is the reason, because it is not, but it has been a difficult time. Our job is to perform, but we have been through a lot of trouble.”