Tunisia Becomes First African Team Eliminated From 2026 World Cup After 4-0 Rout By Japan

Tunisia Becomes First African Team Eliminated From 2026 World Cup After 4-0 Rout By Japan

Sampson Adedeji 

Tunisia’s hopes of advancing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup were mathematically extinguished on Sunday morning as they suffered a comprehensive 4-0 defeat to Japan in their second Group Stage match, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The Carthage Eagles, who had already been thrashed 5-1 by Sweden in their tournament opener, were dismantled by a clinical Japanese side that took control from the opening minutes.

Japan broke the deadlock as early as the fourth minute, immediately putting Tunisia on the back foot. 

The Asian outfit extended their lead before halftime when Ayase Ueda found the net, leaving the North Africans facing an uphill battle.

Japan maintained their dominance after the interval. 

Junya Ito added a third goal midway through the second half, before Ueda capped off an impressive individual performance by scoring his second of the match in the 83rd minute to complete the 4-0 rout.

The result confirms Tunisia’s early exit from the competition. 

With two heavy defeats from two matches, the team can no longer qualify for the knockout stages, becoming the first African nation to crash out of the 2026 World Cup.

Tunisia will now play their final group fixture against the Netherlands on Thursday, where they will look to restore some pride in what has been a disappointing campaign so far.