Chaabani Calls on Experience for Tunisia’s AFCON Qualifiers
Tunisia head coach Mouine Chaâbani has brought experience back into the Eagles of Carthage squad, recalling Ferjani Sassi, Aïssa Laïdouni and veteran defender Ali Maâloul for the opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda and Botswana.
Tunisia begin their qualifying campaign against Uganda on September 24 before facing Botswana four days later, with Chaâbani starting the process of reshaping the national team following their disappointing 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Only 14 players from Tunisia’s World Cup squad have been retained, as Chaâbani looks to combine established internationals with a group of emerging talents.
Sassi and Laïdouni return to strengthen the midfield, while Maâloul adds experience at the back. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Hamza Rafia, Sayfallah Ltaief and Amine Cherni have also returned to the national-team setup.
There are also opportunities for several newcomers, with Samy Chouchane, Sadok Kedida and Mohamed Nasraoui receiving their first senior call-ups.
Tunisia begin new chapter
The changes come after a difficult World Cup campaign in which Tunisia lost all three of their matches, scoring twice and conceding 12 goals.
Chaâbani will also have to plan without several established players. Hannibal Mejbri is unavailable because of injury, while Ali Abdi, Elias Saad, Saîf-Eddine Khaoui, Firas Chaouat and Issam Jebali have not been included.
Midfielder Elyes Skhiri, meanwhile, has retired from international football.
With a mixture of returning veterans and new faces, Tunisia will hope to make a positive start to their AFCON 2027 qualification campaign.
Tunisia squad
Goalkeepers: Aymen Dahmen, Mouhib Chamakh, Sabri Ben Hassen.
Defenders: Yan Valéry, Mouataz Neffati, Montassar Talbi, Alaa Ghram, Mohamed Nasraoui, Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida, Ali Maâloul, Amine Cherni.
Midfielders: Aïssa Laïdouni, Ferjani Sassi, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Hamza Rafia, Anis Ben Slimane, Sami Chouchane, Ismaël Gharbi.
Forwards: Khalil Ayari, Sayfallah Ltaief, Elias Achouri, Sebastian Tounekti, Rayan Elloumi, Sadok Kedida, Hazem Mastouri.
Tunisia vs Uganda: September 24, 2026
Tunisia vs Botswana: September 28, 2026
