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Burnleys Mejbri and PSGs Ayari lead Tunisias World Cup team

Burnleys Mejbri and PSGs Ayari lead Tunisias World Cup team
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Tunisias national side, the Carthage Eagles, prepares for its seventh participation in the FIFA World Cup tournament, with aspirations to advance from the group stage for the first time ever.

Midfielder Ellyes Skhiri of Eintracht Frankfurt features prominently in the selection by head coach Sabri Lamouchi and has been appointed as captain for the North African nation.

Hannibal Mejbri from Burnley represents a key addition to the team, ready for his second successive appearance at the FIFA World Cup. Khalil Ayari, the young prospect from Paris SaintGermain, has also secured a spot in the lineup.

Yet the most striking development is the absence of Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane. This midfielder was Tunisias highest goalscorer in the qualifying rounds and is remembered for his thrilling 94thminute winning strike against Equatorial Guinea.

Tunisia earned their place by topping a qualifying group that included Namibia, Liberia, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe, collecting a strong 28 points across 10 fixtures for direct advancement.

For the finals, the 2004 African champions find themselves in Group F with the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden.

Their opening fixture comes against Sweden on 14 June at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe. They then meet Japan six days afterwards, before finishing group duties versus the Netherlands on 25 June at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Full squad

Goalkeepers: Aymen Dahmen (CS Sfaxien), Sabri Ben Hassine (Etoile du Sahel), Mohib AlShamikh (Club Africain)

Defenders: Montassar Talbi (Lorient), Dylan Bronn (Servette), Omar Rekik (Maribor), Yan Valery (Young Boys), Ali Abdi (Nice), Moutaz Neffati (IFK Norrkoping), Raed Chikhaoui (Monastir), Adem Arous (Kasimpasa)

Midfielders: Ellyes Skhiri (Eintracht Frankfurt), Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley), Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich City), Rani Khedira (Union Berlin), Mohamed HadjMahmoud (FC Lugano), Ismael Gharbi (FC Augsburg), Mortadha Ben Ouanes (Kasimpasa)

Strikers: Elyes Achouri (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ismael Gharbi (FC Augsburg), Elias Saad (Hannover 96), Sebastian Tounekti (Celtic), Firas Chaouat (Club Africain), Khalil Ayari (Paris SaintGermain), Hazem Mastouri (Dynamo Makhachkala), Rayan Elloumi (Vancouver Whitecaps)