Tunisia have become the first African nation to be eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering a crushing 4-0 defeat to Japan national football team on Sunday.
The heavy loss marked Tunisia’s second consecutive defeat of the tournament and confirmed their exit from Group F with one match still to play.
The Carthage Eagles began their campaign with a 5-1 defeat to Sweden national football team before being comprehensively outclassed by Japan in their second outing.
Having conceded nine goals and scored just once in two matches, Tunisia can no longer progress to the knockout stage, making them the first African side to be mathematically eliminated from the expanded 48-team tournament.
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Japan’s victory strengthened their position at the top end of Group F, while Tunisia’s defensive struggles continued as they failed to recover from their opening-match setback against Sweden.
The North Africans entered the tournament hoping to improve on previous World Cup performances but have endured a difficult campaign, managing only a solitary goal while shipping nine at the other end.
With one group match remaining against the Netherlands national football team, Tunisia will now play for pride as they seek to avoid ending the tournament without a point.
Their early exit represents a disappointing outcome for one of Africa’s traditional football powers and leaves the continent’s remaining representatives carrying the hopes of African football in the race for the knockout rounds.
