Tunisia Falls to Sweden 5-1 in World Cup 2026 Opener

Tunisia suffered a heavy defeat against Sweden, losing 5-1 in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday.

Yasin Al Ayari opened the scoring for Sweden, setting the tone for the match. The Swedish team continued to dominate, with Alexander Isak doubling their lead shortly after.

Despite the setback, Tunisia managed to reduce the deficit when Omar Raqiq scored, briefly reigniting hope for the Tunisian side.

In a flurry of goals, Viktor Gyökeres capitalized on a defensive error by Tunisia to score Sweden’s third goal. Mattias Svanberg then sealed the victory with a quick fourth goal just 18 seconds after coming onto the pitch.

The result places Sweden at the top of Group F, following a draw between Japan and the Netherlands that ended in a 2-2 tie. Tunisia currently sits at the bottom of the group without any points.

Tunisia’s Lineup Against Sweden

• Goalkeeper: Abderrahmane Chamseddine
• Defense: Montasser Talbi, Ali Gharbi, Omar Raqiq, Yan Valery, Mohamed Amin Ben Hamida
• Midfield: Hannibal Mejbri, Rani Khedira, Elias Achouri, Anis Ben Slimane
• Forward: Elias Saad

Sweden’s Lineup Against Tunisia

• Goalkeeper: Kristoffer Nordfeldt
• Defense: Gustav Lagerbielke, Victor Lindelöf, Isak Hien, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Alexander Bernhardsson
• Midfield: Benjamin Nygren, Jesper Karlström, Yasin Ayari
• Forward: Viktor Gyökeres, Alexander Isak

Tunisia will face Japan in their next group match while Sweden prepares to take on the Netherlands.