Ben Romdhane’s stoppage-time strike sends Tunisia to the 2026 World Cup

Tunisia have officially booked their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Mohamed Ben Romdhane’s dramatic late winner secured a 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in Malabo on Monday.

The Carthage Eagles needed just a point to confirm their qualification but left it late before celebrating in style. Ben Romdhane, currently starring for Egyptian giants Al Ahly, struck in the 94th minute after fine work from Firas Chaouat.

The result leaves Tunisia top of Group H with 22 points from eight matches. Their nearest challengers, Namibia, trail by 10 points with only three left to play for, confirming Tunisia’s place at the 2026 finals in North America. It makes Tunisia the second African nation to qualify for the tournament, following Morocco, who sealed their passage earlier in the day.

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Coach Sami Trabelsi, who captained Tunisia at the 1998 World Cup in France, oversaw the historic win. His squad reflected Tunisia’s growing football diaspora, with players drawn from nine different countries.

Among them was Hannibal Mejbri, the 21-year-old midfielder on loan at Burnley from Manchester United, whose presence highlights the youthful talent pushing Tunisia forward.

Morocco keep perfect record

Elsewhere in African qualifying, Morocco continued their flawless campaign with a 2-0 win in Zambia, thanks to goals from Youssef En Nesyri and Hamza Igamane. The Atlas Lions are now one of the favorites to make a deep run in North America after reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Mozambique Shock Botswana

There was also drama in Group G, where Mozambique defeated Botswana 2-0 in Maputo. That result mathematically eliminated Algeria, meaning even a win in their away game against Guinea later on Monday would not be enough to keep their hopes alive.

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For Tunisia, this will be their seventh World Cup appearance, and third in a row after competing in both Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. The Carthage Eagles will now look to build momentum and improve on their group-stage exit in the last tournament.

With Morocco and Tunisia already through, all eyes will now turn to heavyweights like Senegal, Nigeria, and Egypt as the battle for Africa’s nine direct World Cup places continues.

SportsLigue