The Tunisian football selection will know this Friday the teams it will face during the 2026 World Cup, organized for the first time in three countries and bringing together 48 teams. The “Eagles of Carthage” are hoping for a favorable draw to complete a historic first round.
A highly anticipated draw
The draw will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in Washington DC Tunisia is in pot 3, alongside Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Norway, Panama, Scotland, Paraguay, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan and South Africa.
Pot 1 includes Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina (title holder), France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Hat 2 is made up of Morocco, Croatia, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.
Pot 4 is made up of Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, as well as four teams from the European play-offs (A, B, C, D) and two teams from the intercontinental play-offs (A, B).
Supporters are impatiently awaiting the verdict, hoping that the “Eagles of Carthage” fall into a balanced group, ideal for aiming for a first qualification in the round of 16, an unprecedented milestone for Tunisian football.
An exemplary qualification
Tunisia ensured its presence at the 2026 World Cup with an almost perfect performance: 28 points out of 30, nine victories and a draw, and a remarkable defensive performance by not conceding a single goal.
In collective memory, the epic of 1978 in Argentina remains a symbol: Tunisia won its first world victory there by beating Mexico 3-1, followed by a draw against Germany and a narrow defeat against Poland. This historic performance helped to increase the number of places for African teams in subsequent editions.
More recently, during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the selection showed good things: a 1-0 victory against France, a draw against Denmark and a narrow defeat against Australia, without however making it past the first round.
An unprecedented edition
The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 across 16 modern stadiums spread across the United States (11), Mexico (3) and Canada (2). The opening match will take place at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, and the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
With 48 teams and eight Arab selections, this edition marks a historic milestone: the largest World Cup ever organized since the first edition in 1930, reflecting the expansion and growing global dimension of modern football. After the first round, the first two from each group will qualify for the thirty-second finals, joined by the eight best third-placed players.
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