Tunisia became the third nation officially eliminated from the FIFA World Cup 2026 after suffering a crushing 4-0 defeat against an impressive Japan side. The result confirmed the end of the North Africans' hopes of reaching the Round of 32 under new head coach Herve Renard.

From the opening whistle, the contest was one-sided. Japan controlled possession, dictated the tempo and never allowed their opponents to settle into the game. The statistics painted a bleak picture for Tunisia, who failed to register a single shot on target throughout the entire match.

The breakthrough arrived early when Daichi Kamada finished off a superb move. After a dangerous low cross from Keito Nakamura, the midfielder timed his run perfectly and beat the goalkeeper with a composed first-time finish to hand the Blue Samurai an early advantage.

Japan doubled their lead in the 31st minute through Ayase Ueda. The striker showed excellent technique, collecting possession on the edge of the penalty area before curling a precise effort into the far corner, leaving the Tunisian goalkeeper with no chance.

Any hopes of a second-half response quickly disappeared as Japan continued to dominate. The third goal arrived midway through the second period when Junya Ito raced clear on goal and calmly converted a one-on-one opportunity, effectively putting the result beyond doubt.

The final blow came from Ueda, who completed his brace in spectacular fashion. Meeting a perfectly delivered cross from Koki Sano, the forward produced a looping header that sailed over both the goalkeeper and retreating defenders before dropping into the net.

The 4-0 triumph leaves Japan in a strong position ahead of a highly anticipated final group-stage clash with Sweden. Meanwhile, Tunisia will play for pride in their last match of the tournament against the Netherlands, knowing their World Cup journey will come to an end after the group stage.

World Cup 2026

Tunisia - Japan 0:4 (0:2)
Goals: Kamada, 4 (0:1); Ueda A., 31 (0:2); Ito J., 69 (0:3); Ueda A., 84 (0:4)

Tunisia: Dahmen Ay.; Abdi Ali (Achouri, 90); Talbi; Rekik O.; Bronn (Ben Hamida, 46); Valery; Skhiri (Khedira R., 90); Saad (Gharbi, 46); Mejbri; Ben Slimane A.; Tounekti (Chaouat, 64)
Substitution: Ben Hamida (from 46); Gharbi (from 46); Chaouat (from 64); Khedira R. (from 90); Achouri (from 90)
Bench: Chamakh; Ben Hessen; Arous Adem; Ben Ouanes; Neffati; Chikhaoui; Hadj Mahmoud; Ayari; Mastouri; Elloumi

Japan: Suzuki Z.; Itakura; Ito H.; Tomiyasu (Seko, 79); Sano; Tanaka A.; Doan (Sugawara, 74); Nakamura (Suzuki Yu., 79); Kamada (Suzuki J., 74); Ito J.; Ueda A. (Goto, 86)
Substitution: Sugawara (from 74); Suzuki J. (from 74); Seko (from 79); Suzuki Yu. (from 79); Goto (from 86)
Bench: Osako K.; Hayakawa; Taniguchi; Nagatomo; Watanabe T.; Maeda; Ogawa; Shiogai