Tunisia qualifies for FIFA World Cup 2026 with win in Equatorial Guinea

Tunisia joins Morocco arsenic the 2nd African federation to straight suffice for adjacent year’s World Cup successful North America.

Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane has scored successful added clip to springiness Tunisia a 1-0 triumph successful Equatorial Guinea and qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 successful North America.

The distant triumph connected Monday nighttime gave Tunisia an unassailable pb successful Group H, and they became the 2nd African federation to unafraid a spot astatine the tourney aft 2022 semifinalists Morocco.

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Tunisia person 22 points from 8 games, 10 much than second-placed Namibia, who person 1 lucifer successful manus but cannot lucifer the full of the Carthage Eagles.

Substitute Ben Romdhane, a midfielder with Egyptian and African giants Al Ahly, struck successful the 94th infinitesimal aft being acceptable up by Firas Chaouat.

He besides scored the lone goal, from a penalty, erstwhile Tunisia bushed Equatorial Guinea successful matchday 3 past year.

“When Firas Chaouat received the shot successful the last moments, I knew helium was going to get the amended of the Equatorial Guinean player,” Ben Romdhane told Tunisian TV.

“So I moved guardant and enactment myself successful a bully presumption to score,” added the 26-year-old, who joined Al Ahly this twelvemonth from the Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros.

“It was the toughest lucifer of the qualifiers, and we expected it fixed the conditions, the transportation and the humidity,” chap midfielder Ferjani Sassi said.

“We knew however to accommodate to the circumstances. They had galore chances, but we were ready. We believed successful ourselves until the precise end.”

Tunisia started the lucifer successful Malabo with players based successful 9 countries, including Hannibal Mejbri from Premier League broadside Burnley.

The Eagles are coached by erstwhile centre backmost Sami Trabelsi, who captained Tunisia astatine the 1998 World Cup successful France.

Tunisia person present qualified 7 times for the World Cup and volition anticipation to amended connected a grounds of lone 3 victories successful 18 matches and ne'er progressing beyond the archetypal round.

Africa are guaranteed 9 places astatine the 48-nation World Cup successful the United States, Canada and Mexico, and the fig of qualifiers could emergence to 10 aft intercontinental playoffs successful March.