Tunisia 1–3 Netherlands | Group F | Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City | 25 June 2026
Tunisia’s miserable World Cup campaign ended in Kansas City with a heavy defeat to the Netherlands, as the Eagles of Carthage departed the tournament without a single point to their name.
Brian Brobbey scored his third goal of the World Cup, and the Netherlands got a pair of goals that deflected off Tunisian players into their own net as the Dutch rolled in the rain to a 3-1 victory, advancing as winners of Group F.
The opening minutes were grimly symbolic of Tunisia’s tournament. Denzel Dumfries sent a ball across the front of goal; Tunisian captain Ellyes Skhiri slapped at it in an attempt to clear and found the back of his own net in the third minute. Brobbey doubled the lead just four minutes later, prodding home at the back post after Van Dijk cushioned a free-kick into his path.
Tunisia improved after the break and pulled one back. Hazem Mastouri redirected a corner kick into the net nine minutes into the second half. But the Dutch answered swiftly. Van Hecke’s header off a corner glanced off a Tunisian defender and into his own net in the 62nd minute, restoring the two-goal cushion and ending the contest as a competition.
Tunisia’s loss extended their winless streak to six matches. They have never reached the knockout rounds in seven trips to football’s grandest stage. Coach Hervé Renard was blunt. “If you can’t defend, you can’t do anything in football. We needed to be much stronger, and we weren’t strong enough.” The Netherlands now face Morocco in the round of 32.
