Bundesliga Trio Starts for Eliminated Tunisia in Final World Cup Match

Kansas City, USA – TunisiaTeam·Tunisia brought their 2026 FIFA World CupCompetition·FIFA World Cup journey to a close on June 25, facing the NetherlandsTeam·Netherlands in their final Group F encounter. Despite having already been eliminated from the tournament, the North African squad fielded a starting eleven that included three players from Germany's Bundesliga: Ellyes SkhiriPlayer·Ellyes Skhiri of Eintracht FrankfurtTeam·Eintracht Frankfurt, Rani KhediraPlayer·Rani Khedira from Union BerlinTeam·Union Berlin, and Ismaël Gharbi of AugsburgTeam·Augsburg. Skhiri, a consistent presence, once again wore the captain's armband for his nation.

TunisiaTeam·Tunisia's tournament performance had been challenging, marked by significant defeats in their earlier group matches. They commenced their campaign with a 5-1 loss to SwedenTeam·Sweden, followed by a 4-0 defeat against JapanTeam·Japan. These results left them with a single goal scored and nine conceded across two games, registering a mere 0.17 expected goals (xG) according to available data. Historically, TunisiaTeam·Tunisia has maintained a low win rate of 15% in World Cup matches, with only three victories in 20 appearances, and had secured just one win in their last nine fixtures across all competitions prior to this match.

In contrast, the NetherlandsTeam·Netherlands entered the fixture in strong form and with clear objectives. The Dutch had previously drawn 2-2 with JapanTeam·Japan and achieved a commanding 5-1 victory over SwedenTeam·Sweden. Their impressive run extended to an unbeaten streak of 14 consecutive World Cup games, excluding penalty shootout losses, a sequence that stands as the longest for any side in the competition's history. Heading into the final group stage matches, both the NetherlandsTeam·Netherlands and JapanTeam·Japan held four points in Group F, while SwedenTeam·Sweden had three, and TunisiaTeam·Tunisia remained without a point.

For TunisiaTeam·Tunisia, the match against the NetherlandsTeam·Netherlands was primarily about restoring a measure of pride after a difficult campaign. Their emergency coach, Hervé Renard, who took the helm following the dismissal of Sabri LamouchiCoach·Sabri Lamouchi after the SwedenTeam·Sweden loss, had urged his team to play with "pride and dignity" in their final outing. The NetherlandsTeam·Netherlands, under coach Ronald Koeman, had a more tangible goal: securing victory to top Group F, a result that would significantly influence their seeding and potential opponents in the knockout stages. The outcome of the concurrent match between JapanTeam·Japan and SwedenTeam·Sweden was also poised to play a crucial role in determining the final group standings.

This encounter underscored the differing stakes for both nations, with TunisiaTeam·Tunisia seeking a dignified exit and the NetherlandsTeam·Netherlands focused on solidifying their position as a formidable contender in the knockout rounds.