Tunisia players & fans dissect team’s tumultuous World Cup run in Kansas City
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tunisia lost 3-1 to the Netherlands at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
- Tunisia fired Sabri Lamouchi after the 5-1 opening loss to Sweden; he joined in January.
- Players were frustrated and fans hoped for change in the Tunisian Football Federation.
Tunisia came to Kansas City knowing its last match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be played at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium.
The team from North Africa exits KC having produced its strongest performance of the tournament in a 3-1 loss to mighty Netherlands on Thursday night.
Tunisia became the butt of jokes after firing manager Sabri Lamouchi following a 5-1 loss to Sweden in its group-stage opener. He had only been with the team since January.
Veteran manager Hervé Renard was in Senegal watching the World Cup on TV when he was picked, in the thick of the tourney, to coach the Tunisians’ next two matches. The coaching change had little impact: The “Eagles of Carthage” proceeded to lose to Japan and the Netherlands, too, scoring just two goals across three matches.
The players were understandably frustrated with their performance. Tunisia has yet to make it to the knockout round of a World Cup.
Tunisia striker Hazem Mastouri said the squad has changed significantly since its appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament just two years ago. He scored Tunisia’s only goal Thursday, in the 54th minute.
“We tried to address this situation as best we could, and the results you see are the outcome,” Mastouri said through a translator afterward. “Ten minutes of a lapse can hit you right where it hurts and knock you out of the game completely.
“We really tried to push each other to the limit and give it our all for a match like this, as you saw.”
Pockets of Tunisia fans were sprinkled among the majority orange in the stands at Arrowhead Thursday — it was pro-Netherlands crowd. When Tunisia scored, vigorous cheers arose from fans like Erije Benaissa, a Tunisia native currently living in Arkansas.
Benaissa brought several family members to the game and couldn’t believe she had a chance to watch her homeland’s team live.
“No, no, I would have never thought,” she told The Star. “I’m so happy they made it to this World Cup here in the U.S., and it was three hours away.”
It’s been rough watching the team struggle, she said. But an opportunity to be part of the World Cup made the experience worthwhile.
“I got to do my national anthem,” Benaissa said. “You know how diverse America is in front of many nationalities, and it’s good to be able to hold the flag of Tunisia in front of so many nationalities.”
After such a dismal outcome on the field, however, some Tunisian fans are hoping for yet more change. They talk of reforming the Tunisian Football Federation — and the country, which is in a perpetual state of unrest.
Meanwhile, Tunisia soccer veterans like midfielder Rani Khedira refuse to rest on their laurels. They know that simply making the global tournament wasn’t enough. Like fans, they hope their nation’s soccer federation can help for World Cups to come.
“Sure, it’s an honor to play a World Cup, even in this beautiful country, especially fans,” said Khedira, who switched his allegiance from Germany to Tunisia in January. “It was an honor, but yeah, our performance was not that good.”
