The Tunisia national team will amplify their World Cup preparations from Monday, 7 November in the Saudi city of Dammam, and will continue until 13 November before heading to Qatar on 14 November.
As part of their preparations, they will play fellow World Cup finalists Iran in a friendly match on 16 November.
Tunisia begin their campaign at the 2022 World Cup against Denmark ahead of an encounter with Australia, before concluding their campaign in the group stage against France.
The build-up to this World Cup has not been without any anxiety for Tunisia and their fans.
This after footballās world governing body Fifa warned the Tunisian Football Federation that the country’s participation in the upcoming World Cup could be at risk. The warning followed what appeared to be some government interference in the running of the sport.
Federation president Wadie Al-Jari said in televised statements: “About the possibility of Fifa stopping Tunisian football activity before the World Cup? The sun’s rays are scorching, but we will turn every negative energy into positive.”
He added: “Focus on Tunisia to oversee the continent of Africa, North Africa and the Arabs.”
He concluded: “Our focus is on preparing for the World Cup, and Tunisia will honour the Arabs and Africans.”
This is not the only worry for the Tunisian fans. The other concern is that the Tunisian national team coach has little or no international experience.
The Tunisian Federation assigned the responsibility to Jalel Kadri against Mali in the last round of the World Cup qualifiers.
DIFFICULT TASK
Al-Qadri returned with a 1-0 win against Mali before they tied 0-0 in Tunisia to reach the World Cup finals for the sixth time. Following that narrow escape, the Tunisian fans do not have great faith in the inexperienced Kadri as national team coach.
“We know that the task is difficult, but I have confidence in the group and our goals are great, and there is no room for despair or pessimism,” Al-Qadri said after the draw for the finals in April.
Tunisia national team superstar Youssef Msakni will no doubt use his experience of playing in Qatari stadiums to compensate for the disappointment of missing the last edition of the Fifa World Cup due to injury.
In September, Msakni faced the specter of missing the World Cup in Qatar 2022 for the second time, after suffering a knee injury with Al Arabi against Umm Salal in the Qatar Stars League.
He came off the pitch in pain, but the tests showed no serious long-term damage. The 32-year-old played for Tunisia in a 5-1 loss to Brazil in a friendly match in September.
Meanwhile, much will be expected from Montpellier player Wahbi Khazri, who led Tunisia to World Cup qualification. The 31-year-old is regarded as the most prominent player in a squad.
The French-born striker, who has the No 10 shirt in the Tunisia squad, also plays as an attacking midfielder, and is currently ranked second in the Carthage Eagles’ list of top scorers through the ages, having scored 24 goals in 70 international matches since his first appearance in 2013.
SuperSport.com spoke to Ali Elkabi about Tunisiaās prospects in the upcoming World Cup. Elkabi played in the 1978 Fifa World Cup. He scored Tunisia’s first-ever goal in the World Cup against Mexico. The match ended 3-1 in favour of Tunisia, the first match in which an African team registered a World Cup win.
Q: How do you rate Tunisiaās chances in the next World Cup?
A: Itās a tough group and the pressure is there. We must hold on to hope while imposing our character. We played friendly matches and had a friendly tournament in Japan. And the Brazil match, despite the loss, is a great lesson.
We have another match with Iran and we must win to gain confidence. Our strength is in discipline.
Q: Who do you see as the best player in the Tunisian national team at the moment?
We are not a one-star team. We don’t have a player like Salah, but we are a team. Youssef Msakni is a team leader, and our strength is in the group. We play football as a team, not as individuals.
Q: Your opinion on the Tunisia national team coach?
He is a young coach who got his chance and succeeded against the Mali national team. He has experience and training certificates as a competent trainer. He will do good work at the Word Cup with his staff. The first game is key for Tunisia to go to the next round.