Tunisia Suffers Heavy 5-0 Defeat to Belgium Ahead of World Cup Opener Against Sweden

Tunisia's preparations for their opening 2026 World Cup match against Sweden have been severely dented by a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Belgium in a warm-up match played on June 6, 2026. Belgium dominated from start to finish with goals from Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, and Kevin De Bruyne, among others. Tunisia's situation worsened when midfielder Ismaël Gharbi was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, leaving his team a man down during the latter part of the game. Tunisia's star player Hannibal Mejbri was rested and did not feature in the match.

The Tunisian head coach Sabri Lamouchi described the performance as "a nightmare," while Tunisian media labeled the result a "catastrophe." Players left the field without commenting, highlighting the disappointment within the team. This defeat adds to Tunisia's woes as they also lost 0-1 to Austria in a previous warm-up fixture. Sweden, meanwhile, has also faced criticism for underwhelming performances in recent friendlies, including a 2-2 draw against Greece and a 1-3 defeat to Norway. Their World Cup opener against Tunisia is scheduled for June 15 at 04:00 Swedish time in Guadalupe, Mexico, with both teams currently under scrutiny for their form ahead of the tournament.