Tunisia Finalize World Cup Squad | OneFootball

The roster for one of the most defensively stout teams in the World Cup has been finalized. After going undefeated and not conceding a single goal in qualifying, Tunisia have named their 26 players that will aim to pull off a major upset in a tough Group F.

The Eagles of Carthage have made several changes from their 2025 AFCON squad, most importantly at manager. After a disappointing tournament that saw Tunisia knocked out on penalties in the Round of 16 by 10-man Mali, Sami Trabelsi was sacked. In came Sabri Lamouchi, who notably chose to represent France instead of Tunisia as a player. 17 of the 26 players in the roster were at AFCON but there are some exciting new names for the World Cup.

Goalkeepers

Tunisia’s goalkeeper options have all been given chances. Dahmene became the starter in between the sticks halfway through World Cup Qualifiers, keeping 6 clean sheets out of 6. However, he had a very shaky AFCON and has since lost his spot. In Lamouchi’s 1st game in charge, Ben Hessen got the nod and kept a clean sheet against Haiti. In their 2 matches since then it’s been Chamakh in goal including in their first game of the summer against Austria. Expect Chamakh to be Tunisia’s #1 in the World Cup.

Defenders

The defense is the strong point of Tunisia’s national team. This is the unit that didn’t concede a goal in qualifying. They’ve also kept clean sheets against the likes of Croatia, Canada, Haiti, and New Zealand in the last 2 years. Left back Ali Abdi is the standout, proving reliable at the back and one of their biggest threats going forward. He led the Eagles of Carthage in assists in qualifying and also provided the lone assist in their impressive 1-1 draw with Brazil last November. Fellow Ligue 1 defender Montassar Talbi will form a center back partnership with Omar Rekik, who got his first cap since 2021 in the March friendly against Canada. Rounding out the back line is Yan Valery at right back, who fans may remember from his days in the Premier League with Southampton.

Midfielders

Midfield is where Tunisia’s best individual players are found. Bundesliga duo Ellyes Skhiri and Rani Khedira form an experienced double pivot. This will be Skhiri’s 3rd World Cup and he has the most caps of any player in the squad with 81. Khedira, on the other hand, only switched his allegiance from Germany to Tunisia in March but has started in all 3 games since. His brother Sami was a key part of the Germany team that won the World Cup in 2014. Burnley attacking midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is Tunisia’s star man. He’s not the only talented CAM in the squad though, as Gharbi and Ben Slimane are both good players. They started on the wings with Hannibal at the 10 in Tunisia’s most recent friendly against Austria.

Forwards

Tunisia’s forwards have a good blend of youth and experience. Elias Saad will be hoping to beat out Gharbi for the left wing position after scoring 3 goals in qualifying, the most of any player in the World Cup squad.

On the opposite flank, 21 year old Khalil Ayari is a sleeper pick to have a breakout tournament. He impressed as a starter against Haiti in March, winning 8/9 of his duels. Ayari is on loan at PSG and has been playing with their U21s. He’ll compete for a spot with the aforementioned Ben Slimane and Elias Achouri, who had a good season in Denmark with 5 goals and 7 assists for København.

Up top, it’s a toss up between a veteran and a youngster. Firas Chaouat was the top scorer in the Tunisian league this season as his Club Africain side lifted the title. He started for Tunisia against Austria and hit the woodwork. Chaouat’s main competition is Canadian-born Rayan Elloumi, the youngest player in the squad. Elloumi made his first senior international appearance for Canada in January but filed a one-time switch to Tunisia and ended up facing his nation of birth in March, playing 32 minutes off the bench. Expect Chaouat to begin the World Cup as the starting striker but don’t be surprised if Elloumi wins the job at some point throughout the tournament.