Tunisia

Tunisia fans watch the 2026 World Cup from Tunis (CET, UTC+1). Their Group F matches kick off at 02:00, 04:00, and midnight local time, the worst viewing window of any African team at the tournament.

What the schedule means for Tunisian fans

Tunisia observes Central European Time year-round without summer daylight saving. Tunis sits 6 hours ahead of Central Time in June, meaning the Monterrey and Kansas City evening kickoffs translate to the dead of night or pre-dawn in Tunisia.

Group F local kickoff times in Tunis

• June 14: vs Sweden at Monterrey. 02:00 June 15 (Tunis)
• June 20: vs Japan at Monterrey. 04:00 June 21 (Tunis)
• June 25: vs Netherlands at Kansas City. 00:00 June 26 (Tunis)

Six World Cups and this is the schedule

Tunisia became the first African country to win a World Cup match when they beat Mexico 3-1 in 1978. They returned to the tournament in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, and 2022. At Qatar 2022, they came within seconds of knocking out France. Wahbi Khazri equalised in the 58th minute, Tunisia led 1-0 in a match France needed to win, and the elimination only came when a late Antoine Griezmann goal was ruled offside. Tunisia went home having outplayed the eventual runners-up in their final group match.

In Qatar, Tunisian fans watched from neighbouring time zones where kickoffs landed in the afternoon and early evening. At a Gulf tournament, geography gave North Africa a scheduling advantage. North America takes it away entirely.

The Netherlands match at midnight on June 25 is the most accessible of the three. In Tunis, the summer nights do not cool until past 23:00, and Café de Paris on Avenue Habib Bourguiba and the terraces in the Medina district carry football on screen for any match involving a team anyone cares about. The Sweden opener at 02:00 will thin those crowds. The Japan match at 04:00 is a pre-dawn alarm test even for the most committed Carthaginian Eagles supporter.

Tunisian communities in Paris and Lyon share the identical CET timezone. The same 02:00 and 04:00 kickoffs that empty cafes in Tunis will test the Tunisian social clubs of the 18th and 19th arrondissements in Paris, communities that have followed the national team across every World Cup campaign since 1978.

Check Tunisia time for live conversions throughout the tournament. For full match previews and analysis, see whensport.com.