Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane struck in stoppage time to seal a dramatic 1-0 victory for Tunisia over Equatorial Guinea, securing their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The decisive goal came in the dying moments of the match, sending Tunisian fans into celebration as the national team booked their ticket to North America.
The hard-fought win highlights Tunisia’s consistency throughout the qualifiers, as they become one of the African nations Who confirmed their spot for next year’s historic 48-team World Cup, set to be hosted across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
With Away victory, Tunisia get a unassailable lead in the Group H of the table and also became the second African nations who secure their place for the major events after 2022 semifinalist team of Morocco.
Substitute Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, the Al Ahly midfielder, delivered the decisive blow in the 94th minute after a precise assist from Firas Chaouat. Interestingly, Ben Romdhane had also been the difference-maker in the reverse fixture last year, converting a penalty to hand Tunisia a narrow victory over Equatorial Guinea on matchday three.
“When Firas Chaouat received the ball in the final moments, I knew he was going to get the better of the Equatorial Guinean player,” Ben Romdhane told Tunisian TV.
“So I moved forward and put myself in a good position to score,” added the 26-year-old, who joined Al Ahly this year from the Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros.
“It was the toughest match of the qualifiers, and we expected it given the conditions, the pitch and the humidity,” fellow midfielder Ferjani Sassi said.
“We knew how to adapt to the circumstances. They had many chances, but we were ready. We believed in ourselves until the very end.”
Currently, the Eagles are coached by former centre-back Sami Trabelsi, who captained the Tunisia side at the 1998 World Cup held in France