Renard in charge as Tunisia eliminated from World Cup with Japan loss
The Tunisian national team has become the first African nation to be eliminated from the ongoing 2026 World Cup after suffering a heavy defeat to Asian giants, Japan.
The Carthage Eagles tutored by French coach Harve Renard succumbed to a crushing 4-0 defeat to Japan, making them the the first AFC team to score four goals in a World Cup match.
In the 1,000th match played at the FIFA World Cup, an Ayase Ueda-inspired Japan breezed past Tunisia in a comfortable win to move to the cusp of knockout stage of the tournament.
Daichi Kamada opened scoring for Japan in the 4th minute with a close-range tap-in from a Keito Nakamura cross, recording Japan’s quickest-ever goal in World Cup history.
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In the 31st minute, Ayase Ueda doubled Japan’s lead with a powerful low strike into the bottom-left corner from outside the penalty area while Junya Ito slotted in the third goal for his team after collecting a clever chipped pass from Ueda during a one-on-one chance.
Ayase Ueda put the icing on the cake for Japan with the fourth goal of the game in the 83rd minute when he guided home a looping header from a deep cross sent in from a teammate.
Both teams will play their next FIFA World Cup Group F matches concurrently on Thursday, June 25, 2026, with Japan locking horns with Sweden while Tunisia will trade tackles with the Netherlands.
