(Reuters) – Following are some facts about Tunisia as they head into the 2022 World Cup:
FIFA Ranking: 26
Odds: 300-1
Previous tournaments:
Tunisia have appeared in 5 World Cups. Although they never reached the second round, they recorded the first ever African victory in the World Cup in 1978, when they beat Mexico 3-1 in their first group match in Argentina before holding defending champions West Germany to a goalless draw.
Tunisia waited 40 years to win just their second World Cup game, when they defeated Panama four years ago in Russia.
How they qualified:
Tunisia cruised through the African qualifiers, winning four and drawing two in a group that also included Equatorial Guinea, Zambia and Mauritania. In the playoffs, Tunisia defeated Mali 1-0 on aggregate to reach their sixth World Cup.
Form guide:
After securing qualification comfortably in March, Tunisia started their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in June with a home win over Equatorial Guinea and a draw against Botswana away from home.
They played another two games in June, defeating Chile 2-0 and Japan 3-0 in the Kirin Cup in Japan. They won again in the September friendly matches, defeating Comoros 1-0 before losing 5-1 to Brazil in France.
(Reporting by Ahmed Maher,; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
