2026 World Cup: Ellyes Skhiri, an unfortunate captain

21.06.26 FT World Cup

Tunisia

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Japan

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Appointed captain by Sabri Lamouchi in the absence of Ferjani Sassi—who wore the armband during AFCON 2025—Ellyes Skhiri disappointed at the World Cup. It proved to be a heavy burden in an extremely challenging context.

World Cup 2026: The official and complete group stage schedule

Usually a standout in the heart of Tunisia's midfield, the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder was a shadow of his usual self. He was among the main culprits in the Carthage Eagles' collective collapse against Sweden. Tunisia fell 1-5 in their World Cup opener, a match played overnight from Sunday to Monday.

The 31-year-old had a disappointing outing and even hurt his team when he tried to dribble past Alexander Isak in front of his own box, only to lose the ball in a "careless" manner. Viktor Gyökeres gladly accepted the gift and doubled the lead for Sweden.

A goal conceded just as Omar Rekik had pulled one back with a header and seemed to be sparking a comeback. At 3-1, the writing was already on the wall. Skhiri faced heavy criticism at the final whistle, just like the rest of his teammates—and perhaps even more so, as he was expected to lead by example.

The Lunel native, who captained Tunisia in four pre-World Cup friendlies—against Haiti (1-0), Canada (0-0), Austria (0-1), and Belgium (0-5)—was playing only his second official match as captain, after Tunisia’s 3-0 win over Botswana in AFCON qualifying on September 7, 2023.

Ellyes Skhiri and his teammates are now under pressure to defy the odds and bounce back against Japan (June 21) and the Netherlands (June 26), likely under a new head coach following Sabri Lamouchi’s confirmed departure.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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