Tunisia have dismissed head coach Sami Trabelsi following the elimination of the Carthage Eagles from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, bringing his tenure to a premature end after a disappointing campaign in Morocco.
The Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) confirmed the decision on Sunday, less than 24 hours after Tunisia’s exit against Mali in the round of 16, following a penalty shootout (1–1 after extra time).
In an official statement explaining the decision, the federation said the move was taken by mutual agreement with the technical staff, in light of the team’s early elimination.
“The Executive Committee has decided, by mutual agreement, to terminate the contract binding the FTF to the entire technical staff of the national team,” the FTF said in its Sunday statement.
The dismissal comes amid growing anger from supporters and strong criticism of Tunisia’s performances during the tournament, especially as expectations had been high after a promising start in the group stage.
Tunisia began their AFCON 2025 campaign with a 3–1 victory over Uganda, a result that briefly reignited hopes of a deep run in the competition.
However, those hopes were quickly dampened by a 3–2 defeat to Nigeria, before a 1–1 draw against Tanzania in their final group match raised doubts about the team’s consistency.
Those concerns were confirmed in the knockout stage against Mali. Despite taking the lead, Tunisia failed to assert their dominance, even after the early dismissal of a Malian player.
The match eventually ended level after extra time, before Mali prevailed in the penalty shootout, bringing Tunisia’s campaign to an end.
This early exit proved decisive for Trabelsi, whose team struggled to convince throughout the competition.
Tunisia’s failure to progress beyond the round of 16 marks another setback for a nation that lifted the AFCON trophy on home soil in 2004 but has since struggled to consistently replicate that success on the continental stage.
