Tunisia are out of the 2026 World Cup after failing to win a game in Group F. The Carthage Eagles were hammered 4-0 by Japan on Sunday at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe.
Japan, marking their 1,000th international match, set the tone early. Daichi Kamada opened the scoring in the fourth minute after a Keito Nakamura setup. Ayase Ueda doubled the lead in the 30th minute, finishing a swift counter after a Ko Itakura assist. Tunisia looked for a reply after the break, but Hannibal Mejbri missed a clear chance in the 49th minute.
Japan put the game beyond reach when Junya Ito curled a low shot into the bottom corner in the 69th, despite several fine saves from Tunisia keeper Aymen Dahmen. Ueda completed his brace in the 83rd minute, heading in a Kaishu Sano cross to seal a 4-0 win, per Sky Sports.
The result compounds Tunisia’s misery after an opening loss to Sweden that cost head coach Sabri Lamouchi his job. Tunisia have appeared at World Cups in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022 — and have gone out at the group stage every time. They face group leaders the Netherlands next at Kansas City Stadium on June 26.
Despite the early exit, Tunisia will still earn prize money. Every team received $1.5m for preparation, and the 16 teams knocked out in the group stage get $9m each — giving Tunisia $10.5m in total.
It was previously reported that FIFA President Gianni Infantino believes an African nation can win the 2026 World Cup, tipping Senegal and Morocco with the expanded 10-team slots.
