Tunisia became the first of Africa’s 10 representatives to crash out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Japan on Saturday, extending a disastrous tournament campaign that has now seen the Carthage Eagles concede nine goals in just two matches.
The North Africans arrived at the tournament with high hopes after a strong qualifying campaign, but their World Cup quickly unraveled.
A 5-1 loss to Sweden in their opening match led to the dismissal of coach Sabri Lamouchi, who was replaced by former Morocco and Saudi Arabia manager Hervé Renard just days before the Japan game.
However, the change on the bench brought little improvement.
Japan dominated from the start in Monterrey, with Daichi Kamada opening the scoring before Ayase Ueda struck twice and Junya Ito added a fourth as the Asian side recorded a historic victory in the 1,000th men's World Cup match.
Tunisia rarely threatened and struggled defensively throughout the contest.
The defeat left them with two losses from two games and confirmed their elimination from Group F.
"It is not the performance we were hoping for," Renard admitted afterward.
"The score of this second match is heavy, but it reflects the difference between the two teams tonight."
The French coach added: "Even if we are eliminated, we still have a third game to play.
"We are in a World Cup, and we must remain focused."
For Tunisia, a team that once became the first African nation to win a World Cup match, the tournament has ended in disappointment far earlier than expected.
Their final group game against the Netherlands will now be played only for pride.
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