The Tunisia national football team played a historic match in the World Cup against Japan, achieving a historic feat after 96 years of the tournament's inception. The match, which took place in North America, where the United States, Canada, and Mexico are hosting the 2026 World Cup, saw a prominent Asian team face off against a seasoned African team. The captain and midfielder of the Tunisian national team, Elias Skhiri, expressed his great pride in participating in this special match, saying: 'Playing in the World Cup is every player's dream, but playing in the 1000th match in the tournament has even greater symbolic significance.' Coach Hajime Moriyasu confirmed that this is a great honor for Japanese football and Asia as a whole, and added that winning is his top priority. The Tunisian national football team made significant changes after their heavy 1-5 defeat to Sweden, sacked coach Sabri Lamouchi after just one match, and appointed veteran strategist Herve Renard. Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs will wear a special yellow jersey instead of the usual white, and a gold badge with the number '1000' will be displayed on his chest to commemorate this special achievement in the World Cup.