Tunisia end 2026 World Cup qualifiers with clean sheet in every match

Tunisia wrapped up their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in perfect defensive fashion, finishing without conceding a single goal after a commanding 3-0 win over Namibia in their final Group H fixture on Monday.

The Carthage Eagles ended the qualifiers unbeaten, winning nine of their ten matches and scoring 22 goals to seal their place at next year’s tournament.

Ali El Abdi opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half in Tunis before Hannibal Mejbri and captain Ferjani Sassi added two more after the break to round off an impressive campaign.

Despite the loss, Namibia secured second place in the group but fell short of qualifying for the playoffs, as they were not among the four best runners-up across the qualifying groups.

The Brave Warriors finished 13 points behind Tunisia, who had already confirmed their World Cup berth before the final matchday.

Elsewhere in the group, Liberia and Equatorial Guinea played out a 1-1 draw in Malabo. Federico Bikoro gave the hosts the lead before Nicholas Andrews equalised for Liberia within the opening 30 minutes.

Equatorial Guinea fielded a new-look side under a new coach after internal issues led to player withdrawals last week.

In other matches, São Tomé e Príncipe celebrated their first points of the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Malawi, thanks to a 62nd-minute penalty from Portuguese-based striker Ronald Lumungo.

The win ended an 18-match winless run for the island nation, currently ranked 195th in the world. The fixture was held in Sousse, Tunisia, as São Tomé lack a FIFA-approved home venue.

South Sudan also concluded their campaign with a goalless draw against Togo in Juba, days after parting ways with French coach Nicolas Dupuis following a heavy 5-0 defeat to Senegal.

Later on Monday, Cape Verde joined Tunisia in the headlines, becoming the second-smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup after their 3-0 home victory over Eswatini.