Tunisia have sacked head coach Sami Trabelsi following the Carthage Eagles’ early exit from the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
The Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) confirmed the decision on Sunday, less than 24 hours after Tunisia were knocked out by Mali in the Round of 16.
The clash ended 1-1 after extra time, before Mali edged the North Africans 5-4 on penalties to seal their place in the quarter-finals.
In a statement released on the CAF website, the federation said Trabelsi and his entire technical crew had been relieved of their duties by mutual agreement after failing to meet expectations at the tournament.
“The Executive Committee has decided to terminate the contractual relationship by mutual consent with the entire technical staff of the national team,” the FTF said.
Tunisia’s campaign began on a bright note with a 3-1 win over Uganda, raising hopes of a deep run in Morocco.
However, cracks soon appeared as the Carthage Eagles suffered a 3-2 defeat to Nigeria before settling for a disappointing 1-1 draw against Tanzania in their final group match.
Those struggles continued in the knockout stage against Mali.
Despite taking the lead and playing against ten men for large periods of the match, Tunisia failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage, allowing Mali to fight back and force extra time before winning the tie on penalties.
The early exit sparked widespread criticism from fans and football analysts, many of whom questioned Trabelsi’s tactics and team selection.
Tunisia, winners of the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in 2004, have now gone more than two decades without lifting the continental title, with calls growing for a major overhaul of the national team setup.
The federation is expected to announce an interim coach in the coming days as it begins another rebuilding process.
