* Beaten 3-1 by Netherlands in last group game following 0-4 in second match against Japan and 0-5 against Sweden
* As Ecuador stunned already-qualified Germany with a 2-1 comeback win to qualify and dent Scotland’s Round of 32 hopes
Maravi Express
Tunisia’s FIFA World Cup™ 2026 campaign came to a disappointing conclusion after suffering a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in their final Group F match in Kansas City on Thursday evening.
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The result condemned the Carthage Eagles to a third successive defeat, following their 0-4 loss in their second match against Japan and 1-5 against Sweden in the opener.
The Dutch, however, booked their place in the knockout rounds. Tunisia made a bright start and created the first opening of the match inside two minutes.
Hazem Mastouri broke down the left before picking out Ismaël Gharbi, whose effort sailed over the crossbar. However, the North Africans fell behind just a minute later when Ellyes Skhiri inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to hand the Netherlands an early advantage.
The Dutch doubled their lead in the seventh minute after Brian Brobbey powered home from close range following Virgil van Dijk’s headed knockdown from a set-piece, putting Tunisia under immediate pressure.
Tunisia looked to respond, with Ali Abdi firing narrowly wide before Anis Ben Slimane came close with a well-directed header that was brilliantly kept out by goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen produced several outstanding saves, denying Cody Gakpo before making another excellent stop from Dumfries to keep the deficit at two heading into the break.
The Dutch resumed on the front foot after the restart, but Tunisia found a route back into the contest in the 54th minute. Hazem Mastouri rose highest to meet Hannibal Mejbri’s corner and headed home Tunisia’s first goal of the tournament, giving the travelling supporters renewed hope.
That hope proved short-lived as the Netherlands restored their two-goal cushion just eight minutes later. Jan Paul van Hecke met Tijjani Reijnders’ corner with a powerful header to make it 3-1 in the 62nd minute.
In New Jersey, Ecuador stunned already-qualified Germany with a 2-1 comeback win to reach the World Cup knockout stages and dent Scotland’s Round of 32 hopes.
Gonzalo Plata’s 77th-minute winner sent Ecuador through as one of the best third-placed teams, with the South American side a potential Round of 32 opponent for England should the Three Lions top Group L.
But for Scotland, Ecuador’s dramatic victory means Steve Clarke’s side drop to the final 8th 3rd-place spot with other teams still to finish their group stage.
The Tartan Army needed a favour from Germany, and it started well as Leroy Sane struck an opener inside the opening two minutes.
But Sunderland’s Nilson Angulo hit a fine leveller just seven minutes later before Plata prodded home late in the second half to spark wild Ecuadorian scenes in New Jersey.
In Los Angeles, Turkiye beat a heavily changed United States 3-2 with a late Kaan Ayhan winner in an action-packed dead-rubber clash that gave the co-hosts their sternest test so far ahead of the knockout rounds.
Turkiye defender Kaan Ayhan (second from the left) celebrates after scoring his team’s winning goal in stoppage time [Patrick T Fallon/AFP]
Already crowned the Group D winners, the US arrived in Los Angeles seeking to extend a perfect start with a third win, but with more than an eye on next Wednesday’s last-32 meeting against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For Turkiye, already eliminated and without even a goal after disastrous losses to Paraguay and Australia, the only objective was to restore some pride.
At San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Australia booked their place in the knockouts with a cagey 0-0 draw against Paraguay that left the South Americans facing a nervous wait to see if they will advance.
In a physical, scrappy contest, Paraguay pushed late after being dominated early, but it ended with the Socceroos making the tournament’s knockout phase for a third time, four years after reaching the last 16 in Qatar.—Reporting by CAFonline, SkySports News & AFP; editing by Maravi Express
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Group stage results
Group A
Mexico 2-0 South Africa
South Korea 2-1 Czechia
Czech Republic 1-2 South Africa
Mexico 1-0 South Korea
South Africa 1-0 South Korea
Czech Republic 0-3 Mexico
Group B
Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Qatar 1-1 Switzerland
Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Canada 6-0 Qatar
Switzerland 2-1 Canada
Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar
Group C
Brazil 1-1 Morocco
Haiti 0-1 Scotland
Scotland 0-1 Morocco
Brazil 3-0 Haiti
Morocco 4-2 Haiti
Scotland 3-0 Brazil
Group D
USA 4-1 Paraguay
Australia 2-0 Turkiye
USA 2-1 Australia
Turkiye 0-1 Paraguay
Turkiye 3-2 USA
Paraguay 0-0 Australia
Group E
Côte d’Ivoire 1-0 Ecuador
Germany 7-1 Curaçao
Germany 2-1 Côte d’Ivoire
Ecuador 0-0 Curaçao
Curaçao 0-2 Côte d’Ivoire
Ecuador 2-1 Germany
Group F
Netherlands 2-2 Japan
Sweden 5-1 Tunisia
Tunisia 0-4 Japan
Netherlands 5-1 Sweden
Tunisia 1-3 Netherlands
Sweden 1-1 Japan
Group G
Belgium 1-1 Egypt
Iran 2-2 New Zealand
Beligium 0-0
New Zealand 1-3
Group H
Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay
Uruguay 2-2 Cape Verde
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
Group I
France 3-1 Senegal
Iraq 1-4 Norway
Norway 3-2 Senegal
France 3-0 Iraq
Group J
Argentina 3-0 Algeria
Austria 3-1 Jordan
Argentina 2-0 Austria
Jordan 1-2 Tunisia
Group K
Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia
Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan
Colombia 1-0 DR Congo
Group L
England 4-2 Croatia
Ghana 1-0 Panama
England 0-0 Ghana
Panama 0-1 Croatia
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