World Cup 2026: Tunisia suffer nightmare start to tournament in 5-1 defeat to Sweden

Tunisia’s hopes of making a positive start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign were dealt a major blow after a crushing 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening Group F encounter at Estadio Monterrey.

Inspired by a brilliant two-goal display from Yasin Ayari, Sweden produced a dominant performance to claim all three points and move to the summit of the group standings.

Ayari opens the scoring

Sweden wasted little time asserting their authority and nearly broke the deadlock in the seventh minute. Viktor Gyökeres reacted quickest to a rebound inside the penalty area and appeared destined to score, only for a Tunisian defender to produce a superb goal-line clearance.

The breakthrough arrived shortly afterwards when Ayari capitalised on a loose ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a stunning strike into the top-right corner to hand Sweden a deserved 1-0 lead.

Tunisia struggled to cope with Sweden’s attacking intensity, and the pressure continued to mount as the first half progressed.

Isak doubles Sweden’s advantage

The Europeans extended their lead in the 30th minute through Alexander Isak, who showcased his individual quality with an excellent solo effort.

The striker weaved past several challenges before firing a low shot into the middle of the net beyond goalkeeper Abdelmouhib Chamakh, leaving Tunisia with a mountain to climb.

Tunisia find a lifeline before the break

Just when Sweden appeared to be cruising, Tunisia found a way back into the contest before halftime.

A well-delivered ball from Hannibal Mejbri picked out Omar Rekik inside the penalty area, and the defender made no mistake, directing a close-range header into the bottom-left corner to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

The goal gave Tunisia renewed hope heading into the interval and suggested the second half could provide a different story.

Defensive mistake ends Tunisia’s comeback hopes

Any optimism Tunisia carried into the second half quickly faded when a costly defensive error gifted Sweden a third goal.

In the 59th minute, a misplaced touch allowed Gyökeres to steal possession and calmly slot the ball into the net, restoring Sweden’s two-goal advantage and putting them firmly back in control of proceedings.

From that point, Tunisia struggled to regain momentum as Sweden dictated the tempo and continued to threaten.

Sweden finish strongly

The Scandinavian side sealed victory in the closing stages when Mattias Svanberg reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the area and fired home to make it 4-1.

There was a brief delay after the goal as referee Yael Perez consulted VAR, but the effort was eventually confirmed following a lengthy review.

Sweden were not finished there. Deep into stoppage time, Ayari completed his brace with another superb finish, receiving a precise pass before smashing a powerful effort inside the right post to cap a memorable individual performance.

Sweden take control of Group F

The emphatic victory sends Sweden to the top of Group F and significantly strengthens their chances of progressing to the knockout stages.

For Tunisia, the heavy defeat leaves them with plenty of work to do in their remaining group fixtures as they seek to revive their World Cup hopes and avoid an early exit from the tournament.