Beaten 2-0 in Sfax by Libya, with goals from Ali Youssef and Hamdou Elhouni, Tunisia are bottom of Group H with 2 points. Head coach Mouine Chaabani is under pressure ahead of the return leg against Libya on 18 November.
Tunisia stumbled in Sfax. Against Libya, the Carthage Eagles went down 2-0, after a penalty from Ali Youssef in the 44th minute and then a goal from Hamdou Elhouni in the 62nd, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm. A setback that plunges the national team into a delicate situation.
It is above all the position in the table that is worrying. According to Dongqiudi, Tunisia occupy last place in Group H with only 2 points at the halfway stage.
A penalty and a Libyan cushion
The match turned just before half-time. Ali Youssef, the Libyan striker, converted a penalty in the 44th minute to open the scoring.
After the break, Hamdou Elhouni, also a Libyan striker, scored the second goal in the 62nd minute, making it 2-0. According to africasoccer.com, Ali Youssef also features in the Team of the Round for Matchday 3, with 13 clearances.
Chaabani in turmoil
On the bench, Mouine Chaabani, the Tunisia head coach, finds himself under pressure. His tenure is threatened, according to Dongqiudi, after this latest failure. The same outlet reports that Tunisia had already sacked their head coach Sabri Lamouchi.
The return leg against Libya, on 18 November, therefore comes in a tense context for the coach.
Group H standings
With 2 points, Tunisia are bottom of Group H. Libya have 4 points and sit second, according to kmaupdates.com. Uganda lead the group with 5 points, while Botswana have 3, according to Sports Nation Uganda.
Tunisia are also the only African representative eliminated in the first round of the 2026 World Cup among the 10 qualifiers, according to Dongqiudi. The outlet also notes that Tunisia’s run of 17 consecutive Africa Cup of Nations appearances could come to an end.
Tunisia face Libya in the return leg on 18 November, on Matchday 4 of Group H.