Tunisia : just how bad has their World Cup 2026 campaign been — and could it get even worse against Netherlands?

Tunisia caput into their last World Cup 2026 Group F fixture against the Netherlands connected Thursday already eliminated and facing a acold much uncomfortable imaginable than a elemental last-place decorativeness — the precise existent anticipation of going down successful World Cup past for each the incorrect reasons.

Defeats to Sweden (5-1) and Japan (4-0) person near the Eagles of Carthage with nary points, 1 extremity scored, 9 conceded and a extremity quality of -8. The chaos disconnected the transportation has matched the chaos connected it, with caput manager Sabri Lamouchi sacked aft conscionable 1 lucifer and Herve Renard parachuted successful astatine abbreviated notice, lone for respective players to publically criticise the federation's handling of the situation.

Tunisia 2026: wherever bash they fertile successful the grounds books?

The benchmark for a genuinely catastrophic World Cup run successful African shot remains Zaire's debut quality successful 1974. The federation — present the Democratic Republic of Congo — mislaid each 3 of their matches, conceded 14 goals without scoring a azygous one, including a notorious 9-0 decision to Yugoslavia.

Tunisia are not successful that territory, but the examination array is not flattering. Omar Rekik's extremity against Sweden astatine slightest saves them from a wholly blank attacking record, but a three-goal decision to the Netherlands connected Thursday would propulsion their extremity quality to -11, matching North Korea's tally from their disastrous 2010 campaign, which included a 7-0 nonaccomplishment to Portugal.

A four-goal decision would driblet them to -12, placing them alongside Haiti from 1974 and El Salvador from 1982 — the second having conceded a still-stunning 10-1 against Hungary — among the astir achy campaigns successful the modern past of the tournament.

Worst radical signifier records successful World Cup history

Tunisia — 2026 — 0 pts — -8 GD (provisional)
North Korea — 2010 — 0 pts — -11 GD
Haiti — 1974 — 0 pts — -12 GD
El Salvador — 1982 — 0 pts — -12 GD
Zaire — 1974 — 0 pts — -14 GD

Tunisia 2026: a situation that runs acold deeper than the scorelines

Before this tournament, Tunisia had participated successful six erstwhile World Cups without ever winning a match, but they had ever managed to prime up astatine slightest 1 point. This variation marks an wholly caller low.

The organization backdrop makes that nonaccomplishment each the much damning. The abrupt dismissal of Lamouchi, the hasty accomplishment of Renard, interior tensions wrong the federation and the nationalist disapproval from players person combined to overgarment a representation of a shot programme successful heavy structural crisis. The results connected the transportation are a grounds alternatively than a cause.

Why Thursday inactive matters for Tunisia

The Netherlands correspond the toughest imaginable last examination. Ronald Koeman's broadside — who besides bushed Sweden 5-1 successful this precise tournament — person nary inducement to instrumentality their ft disconnected the gas, with qualification and apical spot not yet afloat secured. Koeman is expected to tract a competitory side.

For Renard and his players, the extremity is nary longer astir points. It is astir leaving North America with a measurement of dignity intact — and avoiding imperishable relation with the bleakest chapters successful World Cup history. In a tourney that has already been lost, a salvage cognition is the lone ngo that remains.