Tunisia named Anis Ben Slimane in their 26-man World Cup squad on Friday afternoon, handing the 25-year-old another chance on the biggest stage and keeping hannibal mejbri in the broader national conversation as the squad takes shape. The Tunisian Football Federation confirmed Slimane in Sabri Lamouchi's final selection for the tournament.
Tunisia open their campaign against Sweden at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on June 15 before facing Japan at the same venue on June 21 and finishing the group stage against the Netherlands at Kansas City Stadium in the United States on June 26. For Slimane, it will be a second appearance at a World Cup finals if he plays, after he was selected for Qatar in 2022 while at Brøndby and made two group-stage outings.
Those matches showed why Tunisia kept faith in him. Slimane played 83 minutes in the 1-0 win over France and 67 minutes in the goalless draw with Denmark, part of a campaign in which Tunisia collected four points from three group-stage games before finishing third behind France and Australia and going out. This time, Tunisia need more than a spirited showing. They are heading to their seventh World Cup and chasing a place in the knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
Slimane's recall has come after a long gap. He was back in the national team during the March international break after not featuring in the squad since June 2025, and he finished the season with 11 goal contributions in 26 appearances across all competitions. His place in the squad follows a second half of the season that marked a clear revival after he had fallen out of favour under Liam Manning before getting more chances from Philippe Clement, with his run including two assists against Walsall and goals in three successive league games.
That form is the backdrop to Slimane's return. He said he wanted to be ready for the World Cup in the summer and made clear that club performances were the route back: his motivation was to get fit, earn the minutes he expects, and do enough to be part of the tournament. Tunisia have now made their choice, and Slimane's response between now and June will decide whether this selection becomes a brief reunion or another defining chapter on the World Cup stage.
