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22 days to the World Cup: Tunisia makes it to the tournament without conceding a goal

By Kari AndersonYahoo Sports

Tunisia is one of two African teams to enter the World Cup without allowing any goals during qualifying.

The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on! Each day ahead of the tournament’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that showcases just how grand the world’s biggest sporting spectacle has become — even beyond the expanded field of this year’s global event. By most measurements, Tunisia will enter the 2026 World Cup as an underdog.

But the North African nation also joins the tournament off the back of a stellar qualifying run, cruising through 10 games without conceding a goal. In a qualifying group with Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Malawi and Namibia, Tunisia quickly established dominance. Tunisia won both games in the November 2023 window for qualifiers; in June 2024, the country beat Equatorial Guinea and drew against Namibia — their sole draw of qualifiers — to keep things going.

Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament And in 2025, Tunisia went on a killer run, earning six straight wins, including three by three or more goals. In all, across the 10 games, Tunisia earned nine wins and a draw, scoring 22 goals without conceding a single one. Then, in September, the Carthage Eagles sealed qualification to the 2026 World Cup with a 94th-minute winner from Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane against Equatorial Guinea.

Simply Unstoppable. 🦅🇹🇳 #WCQ pic. twitter.