Liberia head into their World Cup qualifiers as they take on African heavyweight Tunisia to keep their hopes alive to qualify for the 2026 World Cup hosted in US, Canada, and Mexico.
Kick-off is set at 4 p.m. Moroccan time (GMT) at Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia.
The Lone Stars’ qualification dream received an unexpected boost after FIFA overturned a 1-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea, awarding them a 3-0 win after the opposition fielded an ineligible player. That win, combined with a slim 1-0 win against Togo at home, and a draw against Togo away has reignited their campaign.
But standing in their way is a footballing powerhouse. Tunisia, ranked 93 places above Liberia in FIFA’s latest rankings, have already booked their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations ticket and are now vying for another World Cup qualification. The newly appointed head coach will lead a side that tops their Group H after accumulating three wins and one draw.
Tunisia’s new-look squad also features fresh names, with goalkeepers Sami Helal and Abdessalem Hlaoui, centre-back Hamza Ben Abda, and defender Houssem Ben Romdhane all getting the nod. And while they are strong favourites, Tunisia will have to be on guard — after all, Liberia did stun them with a 1-0 win scored by Francis Doe Forkey in the 2015 AFCON qualifiers. The Eagles of Carthage then went on to crush the Lone Stars at home 4-1 one year later.
Liberia’s interim boss Thomas Kojo has unveiled a 24-man squad for games against Tunisia and São Tomé, mixing experience with fresh faces. Making their senior debuts are Solomon Tweh, Bryant Farkarlun, Nicholas Andrews, Josiah Cea, Jeygbey Konneh, and Bryan Farkarlun, while Egyptian-based hitman Augustine Otis returns after a five-year absence, rewarded for his goal-scoring form with 11 goals this season with Tersana SC.
However, Liberia will be without key figures Mo Sangare, Emmanuel Ernest, and Brem Soumaoro, while first-choice goalkeeper Mohamed Kamara has pulled out for personal reasons.
Predicted Lineups
Liberia: Koulibaly; Teclar, Dweh, Balde, Pabai, Teah, Salmon; Otis, Dorley, Sesay; Gibson
Tunisia: Dahmen; Ghorbel, Bronn, Abda, Abdi; Romdhane; Ltaief, Sliti; Laidouni; Mastouri, Chaouat
Score Prediction
Tunisia enter the game as clear favourites, but Liberia’s home ground advantage could make this a match closer than expected. Expect a tight, low-scoring game – with Tunisia just scraping a win or a draw.
Tunisia to win or draw & under 2.5 goals
Liberia 0-0 Tunisia
