Tunisia suffered a devastating 4-0 defeat against Japan, a blowout that leaves them completely reeling in Group F of the 2026 World Cup, following an already lopsided 5-1 loss to Sweden on Matchday 1 that had already left them with one foot out of the tournament.
With this defeat, Tunisia are officially eliminated from the World Cup, lacking any chance to qualify even as one of the best third-placed teams due to the sequence of results in the group. With this victory, Japan move to four points, level with the Netherlands, while Sweden sit in third after losing to the Netherlands but defeating Tunisia.
Japan and the Netherlands share the top two spots with four points each, while Sweden temporarily hold third place with three points. Even if Tunisia win their final match against the Netherlands and Sweden lose to Japan, Tunisia cannot qualify in third place due to the tournament’s tiebreaker rule, which in this edition is decided by head-to-head results.
Japan secured three valuable points
The first tiebreaker in the 2026 World Cup is the head-to-head record. However, if Japan and the Netherlands tie for first, given that their match ended in a draw, the second tiebreaker comes into play, which is goal difference. The Netherlands’ goal difference is +4, and Japan reached +4 following their convincing victory, meaning everything will be decided on the final matchday.
Ayase Ueda #18 of Japan controls the ball.
Tunisia’s campaign represents a failure rarely seen in a World Cup, not just because of the results but because of the manner in which it happened, considering that following the opening loss to Sweden, they sacked Sabri Lamouchi and hired the historic Herve Renard.
Renard made a name for himself in the World Cup four years ago. He was coaching Saudi Arabia back then, and he managed to beat Argentina, who went on to win the World Cup, completing a massive comeback ignited by a now-historic halftime speech.
Tunisia join the list of already eliminated nations, which includes Haiti—after losing to Brazil and Scotland in their opening matches—and Turkiye, who fell to Australia and Paraguay. Tunisia now pack their bags and will have to wait another four years to try and experience this tournament again.
