Tunisia Faces Repeated Failures on Continental and Global Levels

Over the course of less than two years, the Tunisian national team experienced a series of consecutive disappointments, with each event becoming a new opportunity for redemption, only to end with another exit that raises broad questions about the reality of the "Carthage Eagles" and the future of Tunisian football.

The beginning was in the Arab Cup, when the Tunisian national team failed to advance beyond the group stage despite drawing with Qatar and raising their tally to four points. They finished the competition in third place behind Syria and Palestine, who secured the two qualifying spots for the quarter-finals, while the Tunisian team had to watch the rest of the tournament from the sidelines.

Subsequently, attention turned to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with hopes of regaining continental prestige and compensating for the disappointment of the Arab Cup. Although the national team succeeded in reaching the round of 16, the journey ended painfully against Mali after a 1-1 draw and a penalty shootout, resulting in the "Eagles of Carthage" exiting the tournament without achieving the anticipated success.

As the 2026 World Cup approaches, expectations have risen once again, with many considering the tournament an ideal opportunity to turn the page on past failures, especially after the changes in the coaching staff before the start of the second round of competitions.

However, the reality was harsher, as the Tunisian team suffered a heavy defeat against Sweden with a score of 5-1, before falling again to Japan with a clean 4-0, exiting the tournament from the group stage without any points, with a tough match remaining against the Netherlands, in one of the most challenging participations in its recent history.

These consecutive results reveal that the crisis is not tied to a specific tournament or a particular coach, but rather reflect a clear decline in the national team's ability to compete continentally and globally. The dreams shifted from making up in the Arab Cup to betting on the Africa Cup, then to clinging to the hope of the World Cup, only for the outcome to be the same at all stages.

The question remains within the Tunisian sports community: Are technical changes alone sufficient to bring the national team back to prominence, or does the next phase require a comprehensive review of the entire football project?