Mouine Chaabani will take charge of Tunisia for the first time when the Aigles de Carthage host Uganda in their opening CAN 2027 qualifier at the Hamadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades on Thursday.
The match kicks off at 20:00 Tunisian time (GMT+1), which is 21:00 in France. It will be shown on Watania and beIN Sports Mena 1 in Tunisia, and on beIN Sports Max 5 in France.
Chaabani was appointed after Herve Renard’s departure, following his replacement of Sabri Lamouchi during the 2026 World Cup. The change in management comes as Tunisia attempt to move on from what was described as a fiasco in North America.
For his first squad, Chaabani has retained 14 players who were involved at the World Cup. However, there has also been a significant element of change, with Elyes Skhiri and Rani Khedira having retired from international football.
A number of experienced players who missed the World Cup have returned to the national team. They include Ferjani Sassi, Ali Maaloul and Aissa Laidouni, while Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Hamza Rafia, Sayfallah Ltaief and Amine Cherni have also been recalled.
The squad features three players receiving their first call-up for the Aigles de Carthage: Samy Chouchane, Sadok Kedida and Mohamed Nasraoui.
Chaabani must nevertheless manage several absences. Hannibal Mejbri, one of Tunisia’s leading players, is unavailable because of injury.
Ali Abdi has returned from injury but has been rested, according to Chaabani. The manager also made clear that the decision was not a punishment linked to a controversial video in which Abdi said he had prioritised his club, Nice, over Tunisia before the World Cup.
Uganda are already guaranteed a place at CAN 2027 as co-hosts, but will still take part in the qualifying campaign alongside Tunisia. Libya and Botswana make up the rest of the group and meet in the other fixture.
The two sides are familiar opponents. Tunisia and Uganda met in the group stage of CAN 2025 towards the end of 2025, when the Aigles de Carthage claimed a 3-1 victory.
Elias Achouri scored twice in that match and has been included in Chaabani’s squad for Thursday’s fixture.