Tunisia coach Mouine Chaâbani has recalled the experienced trio of Ferjani Sassi, Aïssa Laïdouni and Ali Maâloul for the Eagles of Carthage's opening AFCON 2027 qualifiers. This marks the start of a new era following a disappointing 2026 World Cup where Tunisia lost all three matches, scoring twice and conceding 12 goals.
The team begins its qualifying campaign against Uganda in September, before facing Botswana four days later in Group H, which also includes Libya. Chaâbani said: "Tunisia face Uganda before taking on Botswana four days later, as Chaâbani begins the task of rebuilding following a disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign."
A Squad in Transition
Chaâbani has retained only a limited number of players from the World Cup squad, blending seasoned internationals with fresh faces. Alongside the returning trio, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Hamza Rafia, Sayfallah Ltaief and Amine Cherni are also back in the fold. Samy Chouchane, Sadok Kedida and Mohamed Nasraoui have received their first senior call-ups.
Hannibal Mejbri is absent due to injury, while Ali Abdi, Elias Saad, Saîf-Eddine Khaoui, Firas Chaouat and Issam Jebali were not selected. Elyes Skhiri has retired from international duty. The full squad list is available on our squad page.
Tough Context and Key Dates
The qualifiers come at a difficult time for the national side, which sits 4th in its World Cup group with 0 points from three defeats. Tunisia has lost its last five official matches, most recently a defeat to the Netherlands in June. A positive is that Uganda has already qualified as one of three co-hosts alongside Kenya and Tanzania, improving Tunisia's chances of topping the group. The race will unfold over six matchdays running until March 2027. The next fixture is away to Botswana in September.
Further reading: Goal.com
