As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase. You can read the articles in one place here.Tunisie Ya Tunisie, Maak Rabi w enibi — Tunisia, oh Tunisia, God and the Prophet are with youTunisia became the first African country to win a game at a World Cup when they beat Mexico 3-1 on their tournament debut in 1978.Since then, they have struggled to make an impact at the competition. In 2018, they were seconds away from drawing with England in their opening game when they were crushed by Harry Kane’s stoppage-time strike. Four years later, a costly defeat by Australia ruined their chances of reaching the round of 16 despite an impressive 1-0 victory over eventual finalists France.They scored 13 times without conceding as they topped their qualifying group to reach this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Yet head coach Sami Trabelsi was sacked in January, the day after being knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in a penalty shootout by Mali. Trabelsi was replaced by former Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City manager Sabri Lamouchi.“French media call us the Italy of Africa,” Omar Belghith, a Tunisian fan who lives in the coastal city of La Marsa, tells The Athletic. “When we are the underdogs, like against France, we make great matches and have a strong defence. When we are the favourites, we disappoint. We are obliged to attack but don’t create many chances.“At the 2021 AFCON, we had lots of players missing with Covid when we played Nigeria but beat them 1-0 (in the last 16). Then we lost the (quarter-final) to Burkina Faso. We really struggled.”Tunisia fans gather to watch their team during the AFCON 2019 semi-final (Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)At the beginning of April, Tunisia drew 0-0 with Canada at BMO Field in Toronto. Last October, they took the lead against a Brazil side which included Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, Manchester United’s Casemiro and Matheus Cunha and Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos. Chelsea winger Estevao equalised with a penalty. Maybe Tunisia can spring a surprise in a group which contains the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden.“When I was a teenager, we won our first AFCON,” Wajih, who regularly invites friends to watch Tunisia’s games at his house after moving to Belgium in 2024, says. “It was the biggest achievement in our history and since then I have always followed the team. Last October, I watched us draw 1-1 with Brazil in Lille. There were around 34,000 Tunisian fans and the crowd was amazing. The atmosphere we create during games with songs and flags is really magical. That’s the football we love and why we follow our team.”Tunisia have not reached the final of AFCON since they lifted the trophy as hosts in 2004. Five years ago, they lost the Arab Cup final after Algeria scored twice in extra time. Wajih insists Tunisia’s fans are “always enthusiastic” about every game and tournament.