Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup - Six Tournaments, Six Group Stage Exits

John Eastwood

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Last updated: 02 Jun 2026

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John Eastwood 02 Jun 2026

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Tunisia has appeared in six FIFA World Cups (1978-2022).
First African team to win a World Cup match (1978 vs Mexico).
Never advanced beyond the group stage, but achieved notable wins, such as beating France in 2022.

Wahbi Khazri scored Tunisia's only goal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup (Getty Images).

Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup

Tunisia have appeared at six FIFA World Cups: 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, and 2022.
Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup - Argentina
1998 FIFA World Cup - France
2002 FIFA World Cup - Korea/Japan
2006 FIFA World Cup - Germany
2018 FIFA World Cup - Russia
2022 FIFA World Cup - Qatar

Their best achievement remains reaching the tournament so many times, and they made history in 1978 as the first African team to win a World Cup match. Tunisia have never passed the Group Stages.

Year	Matches Played	Wins	Draws	Losses	Goals Scored	Goals Conceded	Stage Reached
1978	3	1	1	1	3	2	Group Stage
1998	3	0	1	2	1	4	Group Stage
2002	3	0	1	2	1	5	Group Stage
2006	3	0	1	2	3	6	Group Stage
2018	3	1	0	2	5	8	Group Stage
2022	3	1	1	1	1	1	Group Stage
Total	18	3	5	10	14	26	—

1978 FIFA World Cup - Argentina

Coach: Abdelmajid Chetali

Tunisia made their World Cup debut in Argentina and immediately entered football history by beating Mexico 3–1, becoming the first African and Arab nation to win a World Cup match.

They narrowly lost 1–0 to Poland and then earned a famous 0–0 draw against defending champions West Germany.

Tunisia exited in the group stage but impressed the football world with disciplined and technical performances.

Goalscorers:

Ali Kaabi, Mokhtar Dhouieb, Néjib Ghommidh (1 each).

1998 FIFA World Cup - France

Coach: Henryk Kasperczak

After a 20-year absence, Tunisia returned to the World Cup in France.

Drawn with England, Colombia, and Romania, they struggled offensively and failed to win a match.

Losses to England and Colombia were followed by a 1–1 draw with Romania in their final game. Tunisia finished bottom of Group G and exited in the group stage again.

Goalscorers:

Skander Souayah (1 goal)

2002 FIFA World Cup - Korea/Japan

Coach: Ammar Souayah

Tunisia opened with a 2–0 defeat to Russia before earning a respectable 1–1 draw against Belgium.

They were then beaten 2–0 by co-hosts Japan. The tournament ended with another group-stage elimination.

Despite only scoring once, Tunisia showed defensive organisation and remained competitive in most matches.

Goalscorer:

Raouf Bouzaiene (1 goal)

2006 FIFA World Cup - Germany

Coach: Roger Lemerre

Tunisia began brightly with a dramatic 2–2 draw against Saudi Arabia. They even took an early lead against Spain before eventually losing 3–1, and then suffered a narrow 1–0 defeat to Ukraine.

Tunisia once again exited in the group stage, though they produced some entertaining attacking football during the tournament.

Goalscorers:

Ziad Jaziri, Radhi Jaïdi, Jawhar Mnari (1 goal each)

2018 FIFA World Cup - Russia

Coach: Nabil Maâloul

Tunisia returned after missing the 2010 and 2014 tournaments and were placed in a difficult group with England and Belgium.

Tunisia lost narrowly to England (2-1) and were heavily beaten 5-2 by Belgium, but ended on a high by defeating Panama 2-1, their first World Cup win since 1978.

Tunisia finished third in Group G but failed to qualify for the knockout stage.

Goalscorers:

Wahbi Khazri (2 goals), Ferjani Sassi, Dylan Bronn and Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (1 goal each).

2022 FIFA World Cup - Qatar

Coach: Jalel Kadri

Tunisia produced one of their strongest World Cup performances in Qatar.

They opened with a goalless draw against Denmark and then lost narrowly 1–0 to Australia.

In their final match, Tunisia shocked defending champions France with a famous 1–0 victory. However, Australia’s win over Denmark denied Tunisia a place in the Round of 16.

Although eliminated in the group stage again, Tunisia left the tournament with worldwide respect after defeating France and conceding only one goal in the entire tournament.

Goalscorers:

Wahbi Khazri (1 goal each)