Sweden vs Tunisia: 'Forget the 5-0!' - Tunisia eye historic knockout breakthrough

As they approach their entry into the 2026 World Cup against Sweden, Tunisia face a sizeable challenge after a build-up marked by a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Belgium.

Set to begin their campaign against Sweden in the early hours of Monday morning at the Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico, in Group F, Tunisia head into the start of the 2026 World Cup in less than ideal circumstances.

An alarming build-up

Beaten twice in as many matches, with no goals scored and six conceded during their warm-up phase, Sabri Lamouchi and his side are still nursing the wounds of the 5-0 thrashing they suffered against Belgium in a friendly on June 6 in Brussels.

The manager's outburst at his post-match press conference summed up the general sense of disappointment.

Lamouchi said: 'There is nothing positive to take from this match, of course I am dissatisfied with my team. I came here to make people dream, but today I am not making anyone dream. The match was a nightmare.'

Also beaten 1-0 by Austria just days earlier, the Eagles of Carthage are under pressure to regroup after the setback. Before flying out to the United States, the country's president, Kais Saied, addressed Hannibal Mejbri and his teammates in an attempt to provoke a wake-up call.

Saied said: 'Forget the 5-0! It must be a motivation and a strength for you to go in search of victory. You train, that is good, but the most important training is the training of the mind. We need to stop with this loser's logic that says: We will wait for the other results, maybe a draw will be enough to qualify us. You need to have a winner's mentality and stop thinking that the most important thing is simply to qualify. You take part to win. The most important thing is that each of you says, I am going to win, and not, the important thing is to take part.'

Rediscovering the virtues of catenaccio

Tunisia have never yet got past the group stage of a World Cup in six attempts. Known as 'Africa's Italy', the Red and White would do well to rediscover their defensive solidity in order to chase a historic qualification for the knockout phase.

The same impermeability that allowed them to hold Brazil to a 1-1 draw in November, after sailing through their African World Cup qualifying campaign without conceding a single goal.

Since then, Lamouchi has replaced Sami Trabelsi following Tunisia's elimination in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations at the hands of Mali. The Franco-Tunisian manager's reign began reasonably well in March with a 1-0 win over Haiti, followed by a 0-0 draw against Canada.

The manager has made bold choices in his squad, which is never easy in a country where the federation is often accused of imposing its players. In a very evenly matched group that also features Netherlands and Japan, the Eagles of Carthage will have to hope those choices bear fruit.