A 0-2 defeat to Libya at the Stade Olympique de Radès, with goals from Ali Youssef and Hamdou El Houni: bottom of Group H with 2 points from 3 matches, Moez Chaabani’s Tunisia sees an AFCON it has not missed since 1992 slipping away.
The Stade Olympique de Radès witnessed Tunisia go down 0-2 to Libya, according to Kickoff. Ali Youssef, from the penalty spot in the 44th minute, then Hamdou El Houni, in the 62nd, scored the two Libyan goals reported by Vetogate. It is the Eagles of Carthage’s first defeat of this qualifying campaign.
The Group H table now makes grim reading for the national team: 2 points from 3 matches, two draws against Uganda and Botswana, and last place, according to foot-africa.com. Libya move on to 4 points, the same as Uganda before their match against Botswana. Head coach Moez Chaabani must now lift his team before the trip to Tripoli.
Two Libyan goals, one a penalty before the break
Ali Youssef converted a penalty in the 44th minute to open the scoring just before half-time. After the interval, winger Hamdou El Houni doubled the lead in the 62nd minute.
Both scorers play for Libya. Tunisia head coach Moez Chaabani found no answer to those two goals, and the Tunisian national team is still without a win in Group H.
A record run of 17 AFCONs in danger
This defeat raises a real threat: Tunisia risks missing the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1992, foot-africa.com reports. An absence would break a record run of 17 consecutive appearances, from 1994 to 2025.
The Group H rules leave little room for error. Only the group’s best team, excluding Uganda, the host nation of the competition, qualifies directly, foot-africa.com specifies. With 2 points from 3 matches and last place, Tunisia can no longer afford another slip-up.
Tripoli for the return match
The reverse fixture, Libya v Tunisia, is scheduled for Tuesday 17 November 2026 in Tripoli, according to foot-africa.com. Four days after Radès, the Tunisians will meet Libya again, this time on their own turf.
Moez Chaabani will have to turn around a team that has yet to win in these qualifiers.