- Source: Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations
Tunisia has participated in the Africa Cup of Nations 21 times, and holds the record for the number of consecutive participations with 16 times, as the team has not been absent from the competition since the 1994 edition on its home soil. The first participation was in the 1962 edition in Ethiopia. He played his first match on 14 January 1962 and lost to the host country team 2–4 in the semi-final. However, Tunisia beat Uganda 3–0 in the third place match to win the bronze medal. Tunisia hosted the event for the first time during the 1965 edition, where the team reached the final and lost to the defending champions Ghana 0–2 after extra time to add the silver medal.
In the next two decades, the team participated only twice, finishing fourth in the 1978 edition in Ghana and being eliminated from the group stage in the 1982 edition in Libya. After failing to qualify for the next five editions, the team returned to the competition, hosting the 1994 edition and achieving the worst participation in its history and on home soil after losing to Mali 0–2 and drawing against Zaire 1–1, eliminating it from the group stage. In the 1996 edition, led by Polish coach Henryk Kasperczak, the team reached the final, but lost to hosts South Africa 0–2. Eight years later, in the 2004 edition hosted by Tunisia for the third time, the team won the title for the first time in its history, led by the French coach Roger Lemerre with a respectable generation of players, after defeating Senegal in the quarter-finals and Nigeria in the semi-finals, and defeated Morocco in the final match 2–1, Francileudo Santos and Ziad Jaziri scored the Tunisian goals.
Since then, the team has not achieved noticeable results, as it was eliminated from the group stage in 2010, 2013 and 2023, exited from the quarter-finals in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2021, and achieved fourth place in 2019. In total, Tunisia have participated in the African Cup of Nations 21 times, playing 83 matches, with 25 wins, 30 draws and 28 losses, scoring 100 goals and conceding 97. The nation's biggest victories at the tournament were 4–0 wins against Ethiopia on 12 November 1965 and against Mauritania on 16 January 2022. Tunisia's biggest defeats were 3–0 losses against Cameroon on 10 February 2000, against Guinea on 30 January 2006, and against the Ivory Coast on 26 January 2013. Francileudo Santos is the top-scoring Tunisian player at the tournament with ten total goals, while Youssef Msakni has appeared in a record 29 matches across eight tournaments between 2010 and 2023.
Overall record
Matches
Win
Draw
Loss
Notes
Tournaments
= 1962 African Cup of Nations
=Semi-finals
Third place match
= 1963 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
= 1965 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Final
= 1978 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Semi-finals
Third place match
The match was abandoned after Tunisia walked off in the 42nd minute with the score tied at 1–1 to protest the officiating. Nigeria were awarded a 2–0 win, and Tunisia were suspended for two years (also banning them from the next tournament).
= 1982 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
= 1994 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
The team managed to break the streak by hosting the African Cup of Nations as a replacement for Zaire, but was defeated by Mali 0–2 in the opening match in front of 45,000 people at the El Menzah Stadium, which contributed to the dismissal of Youssef Zouaoui, replaced by Faouzi Benzarti, who drew the second match against Zaire 1–1. Despite positive expectations before the start of the tournament, the team was eliminated from the group stage after a defeat and a draw.
= 1996 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final
= 1998 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Quarterfinals
= 2000 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third place match
= 2002 African Cup of Nations
=Group stage
= 2004 African Cup of Nations
=As hosts, Tunisia did not have to qualify for the 2004 African Cup of Nations, where they face DR Congo, Rwanda and Guinea in the first round. The team won his opening match against Rwanda 2–1, thanks to goals from Ziad Jaziri and Francileudo Santos, despite the expulsion of Selim Benachour in the 60th minute with a red card. The second match against DR Congo is difficult until the Congolese Lomana LuaLua is sent off with a red card in the first half, after a frank attack on Jawhar Mnari. Thanks to Hatem Trabelsi on the right flank, the team managed to win the match 3–0 with a double from Dos Santos in the 55th and 87th minutes and a goal by Najeh Braham in the 65th minute. On the day of the third match, corresponding to eid al-Adha, 35,000 spectators came to the stadium. Guinea managed to snatch the equalizing point after the end of the game with the score at 1–1, Benachour scoring Tunisia's goal in the 58th minute, followed by a Guinean goal from Titi Camara in the last minutes of the match. Tunisia qualified for the quarter-finals on top of the group with seven points, after two wins and a draw.
In the quarter-finals, Senegal who had already beaten Lemerre as France coach 1–0 in the 2002 World Cup, faced him; Tunisia also won this game 1–0, with Mnari scoring in the second half after a scissor kick from Jaziri; this match is notorious for the appearance of fog on the pitch. In the semi-finals, Nigeria which had eliminated Cameroon. The match becomes very even until the end of playing time 1–1. The first goal was scored by Nigerian Jay-Jay Okocha, who scored a penalty after Tunisian defender Karim Haggui beat Nwankwo Kanu in the penalty area. Fifteen minutes later, Nigerian defender Seyi Olofinjana broke Tunisian striker Jaziri in the penalty area, with whom Tunisia also received a penalty. The Tunisian captain Khaled Badra equalized the score 1–1. The match is finally decided in the penalty shootout, which Tunisia wins 5–3 thanks to Haggui who takes the last shot. With the victory. Tunisia reached the final, where they faced Morocco.
During the final, on 14 February 2004 at Stade 7 November in Radès in front of 70,000 supporters, Tunisia got off to a good start with a lead 1–0 after four minutes with Mehdi Nafti centered on Dos Santos, who scored his fourth goal of the tournament. At the end of the first half, Morocco came back to score with a goal from Youssouf Hadji on a lift from Youssef Mokhtari. Seven minutes passed in the second half before another Tunisian striker, Jaziri gave his country the lead. The match finally ends with the score of 2–1, giving Tunisia their first Africa Cup of Nations title. Khaled Badra and Riadh Bouazizi lifted the trophy after receiving it from President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The Carthage Eagles are the 13th selection in history to be crowned African champions. Roger Lemerre also becomes the first coach to win two different continental tournaments after having previously won Euro 2000 with France. The national team also wins the African National Team of the Year award from the Confederation of African Football. The victory gave rise to the team's nickname, the "Eagles of Carthage" and as a result the team's badge was changed to incorporate an eagle.
Group stage
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
= 2006 Africa Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Quarter-finals
= 2008 Africa Cup of Nations
=Lemerre led Tunisia to qualify for the 2008 African Cup of Nations. In the qualification Tunisia faced Mauritius, Sudan, and Seychelles. After 4 wins and 1 draw, Tunisia suffered a 3–2 loss against Sudan and finished second in the qualifying round. Despite this, Tunisia were among the favorite teams to win the cup after its outstanding performance in recent years in addition to the presence of 7 players from Étoile du Sahel, champions of CAF Champions League, and Tunisia was able to qualify for the quarter-finals. Tunisia finished at the top of the group after a draw in the opening match against Senegal 2–2, a 3–1 victory over South Africa, In the third match, it faced Angola and the match ended 0–0. They lost against Cameroon 3–2 in extra time.
Group stage
Quarter-finals
= 2010 Africa Cup of Nations
=Tunisia failed to be in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but qualified for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Four days later, the Tunisian Football Federation sacked coach Humberto Coelho and at the same time appointed Faouzi Benzarti as the new coach to oversee the national team in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. He was also eliminated after Tunisia were eliminated from the group stage, where all three matches were tied against Zambia, Gabon and Cameroon. Ending the session at the bottom of the group.
Group stage
= 2012 Africa Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Quarter-finals
= 2013 Africa Cup of Nations
=Group stage
= 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Quarter-finals
= 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
=Group stage
Quarter-finals
= 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
=The start of the competition was poor after three draws in the group stage against Angola, Mali, and Mauritania to qualify for the Round 16 with great difficulty in second place. In the next round, the results improved by beating Ghana, and Madagascar 3–0 to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in 15 years when Tunisia won the AFCON in 2004 before they narrowly lost to Senegal 1–0 in extra time after a referee dispute of Bamlak Tessema because of not giving a clear penalty to Tunisia 4 minutes before the end of the game to complete the competition in fourth place behind Nigeria. Nonetheless, it stands as the best performance of Tunisia since winning 2004 AFCON at home.
Group stage
Round of 16
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Third place match
= 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
=The team's participation in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations was rather bad. In the group stage, it began with a 0–1 defeat from Mali during the match, which witnessed strange refereeing events, as Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe ended the match in the 85th minute. In the second match, the team achieved a moral victory over Mauritania 4–0 thanks to the double of Wahbi Khazri and the goals of Hamza Mathlouthi and Seifeddine Jaziri, but the team was afflicted by a 0–1 defeat against Gambia in the last moments of the match, to qualify for the round of 16 as the best third in the group stage. Nevertheless, the team defeated strong Nigeria 1–0 with the goal of Youssef Msakni from outside the penalty area, despite the absence of Mondher Kebaier from the match due to his infection with the COVID-19 virus, and he was replaced by his assistant Jalel Kadri. In the end, the team was eliminated from the quarter–finals against Burkina Faso after a 0–1 defeat.
Group stage
Round of 16
Quarter-finals
= 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
=Tunisia drawn for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Mali, Namibia and South Africa. In the first match, they tried in vain to overcome the constant pressure of Namibia, the match being decided two minutes from regulation time, the Namibians secured a victory when Deon Hotto scored a goal against Bechir Ben Saïd. Against Mali, the Tunisians fell behind after a goal by Lassine Sinayoko on a pass from Kamory Doumbia. Just ten minutes after Mali had opened the scoring, Ali Abdi produced a point and a back pass for Hamza Rafia to equalise 1–1, which proved to be the final score of the match. In the last match against South Africa, Tunisia were too timid while South Africa were too reluctant to make convincing efforts despite holding the advantage. However, as the match became increasingly difficult, the Tunisians almost fell into the traps of the South African counter-attack, including a missed effort from Sphephelo Sithole. Despite a goal attempt from Haythem Jouini, the match ended goalless, eliminating Tunisia from the group stage for the first time since the 2013 edition.
Group stage
Statistics
= Head to head
=– Positive balance
– Neutral balance
– Negative balance
1 Includes games against Zaire
= Goalscorers
=– Best goalscorer(s) of the tournament – Best goalscorer(s) of the team
Hat-tricks
Awards
Top Scorer
2004: Francileudo Santos (4 goals)
2015: Ahmed Akaïchi (3 goals)
Goal of the tournament
2013: Youssef Msakni (vs. Algeria; Group D)
Team of the Tournament
1978: Mokhtar Dhouib
1996: Chokri El Ouaer, Zoubeir Baya
1998: Hassen Gabsi
2000: Khaled Badra
2004: Khaled Badra, Riadh Bouazizi
2008: Saber Ben Frej
2012: Youssef Msakni
2019: Yassine Meriah
Man of the match
2013: Youssef Msakni (vs. Algeria; Group D)
2017: Youssef Msakni (vs. Algeria; Group B)
2017: Taha Yassine Khenissi (vs. Zimbabwe; Group B)
2019: Wahbi Khazri (vs. Angola; Group E)
2019: Ferjani Sassi (vs. Madagascar; Quarter-final)
2021: Wahbi Khazri (vs. Mauritania; Group F)
2021: Youssef Msakni (vs. Nigeria; Round of 16)
Controversies
Tunisia vs. Equatorial Guinea refereeing at 2015 Afcon
Wadie Jary, the president of the Tunisian Football Federation, claimed that there was a bias against Tunisia following their controversial quarter-final defeat to Equatorial Guinea on 31 January 2015. He was banned from CAF competitions and activities. Rajindraparsad Seechurn, the Mauritian referee who gave a penalty to Equatorial Guinea in that match, was banned from officiating for six months and removed from CAF's elite register of referees. The Tunisian FA was fined $50,000 for confronting the referee during the match, in addition to damage to changing room facilities, while Equatorial Guinea was fined $5,000 for inadequate security at the stadium.
Tunisia vs. Mali refereeing at 2021 Afcon
The match between Tunisia and Mali, the first meeting of Group F, was not played to completion. Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe initially whistled the end of the match in the 86th minute before changing his mind, warned by his assistant referee and the protests of the Tunisian players. He then signaled the end of the game in the 90th minute, seconds from the end of regulation time, just as the assistant referee was about to announce added time. In front of the furious Tunisians, the refereeing quartet had to leave the field under police escort.
Given the extent of the controversy, the resumption of the match, to play the remaining additional time, was announced. However, the Tunisian team refused to resume the match, claiming that the players were already in the showers, or out of the stadium, therefore unfit to resume the game. The Malians having presented themselves on the lawn, the end of the match is whistled with only one team on the ground, the result of 1–0 being ratified later by CAF.
Later, it was reported by different media that the referee Janny Sikazwe had in fact suffered a sunstroke in the middle of the game, so much so that he was even taken to the hospital, from where the presence of the fourth referee on the pitch at the time of the attempt to restart the match. According to the Tunisian player Wahbi Khazri, the referee of the match "was no longer coherent", "the referee lost the thread of the match" specified the Tunisian captain. "He was no longer consistent in his choices and decisions. He was very hot."
Squads
See also
Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup
Tunisia at the FIFA Confederations Cup
Tunisia at the African Nations Championship
Tunisia at the FIFA Arab Cup
Notes
References
External links
Africa Cup of Nations – Archives competitions – cafonline.com
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- Kuwait
- Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations
- 2004 African Cup of Nations
- 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
- 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group A
- 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
- Africa Cup of Nations
- 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
- 1994 African Cup of Nations
- 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
- 2006 Africa Cup of Nations
