Tunisia made a frustrating show last Wednesday during its difficult victory over Equatorial Guinea with a goal for nothing in the last match with a penalty kick for its player Mohamed Ali Ben Ramadan, but the three points with which the Carthage Eagles strengthened their tally at the top of the group, did not prevent the torrent of harsh criticism against the players and coach Montaser Al-Wuhaychi, not only by the fans present at the stands of the Rades Olympic Stadium, but in all Tunisian football circles, which considered that their team played one of the worst matches in recent years.

Tunisia is hosted by Namibia, which has 7 points from a draw and two victories, but Tunisia, which is looking to enhance its chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and ensure its seventh global participation in its history, is well aware that the top of Group H is in the balance during its meeting with Namibia, and that winning or drawing in the worst case will enable Tunisia to maintain the leadership of the group, while losing will throw them in second place behind Namibia.

Tunisia’s players and coach Ouaichi have faced a torrent of criticism after poor performances in recent encounters, which created fear for the fate of qualifying for the World Cup to be held in the summer of 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Al-Wuhayshi responded to criticism from sports circles and the media about the return of his players by saying that “the important thing in such matches is to win and get points,” adding that “there is an acknowledgment that “the Tunisian team is in dire need of reviewing some things, and the current group of players needs some time to homogenize and adapt, we faced a difficult team, Equatorial Guinea, which was trying to compensate for the points it missed in its previous two matches, and in the fourth round we will face Namibia away from home. We are sticking to the win because the three points will make us very close to qualifying for the World Cup.”

“We are well aware that the next match against Namibia will be more difficult because this opponent is also seeking the lead, we will play to win despite the difficulties we faced during the last week with the injury of a number of our key players, but we are able to win and appear with a face that really reflects the status of the team and the reputation of Tunisian football, which deserves to be present in the World Cup,” he told Sky News Arabia.