Tunisia fired Sami Trabelsi after the Carthage Eagles failed to qualify for the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, ending his tenure early following a disappointing tournament in Morocco.

The FTF confirmed the decision on Sunday, a day after Tunisia lost to Mali on penalties.

The federation said the decision was made with the technical staff’s consent and cited the team’s early elimination.

“The Executive Committee has decided to terminate the contractual relationship by mutual consent with the entire technical staff of the national team,” the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) said in a statement on Sunday.

The firing occurred amid rising public outrage and broad condemnation of Tunisia’s tournament performances, despite initial optimism.

Tunisia started their AFCON 2025 journey with a 3-1 win against Uganda, sparking hopes of a long run.

The team lost 3–2 to Nigeria, and a 1–1 tie with Tanzania raised doubts about their consistency.

Those doubts surfaced during the knockout match with Mali. Tunisia failed to capitalize on its lead, even with Mali down a player.

After extra time, the match ended. Mali then won the penalty shootout, ending Tunisia’s tournament.

Trabelsi’s early exit was significant, as his team failed to impress during the tournament.

Tunisia’s inability to advance past the Round of 16 is another disappointment for a country that won the AFCON in 2004 but has struggled to replicate that success.