Libya stun Tunisia 2-0 in AFCON qualifier
Libya stunned Tunisia 2-0 in Sfax on Friday in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, a historic first win on Tunisian soil that leaves the Carthage Eagles winless and bottom of Group H. Ali Youssef converted a first-half penalty and Hamdou El Houni struck in the second half to seal a famous victory for the Mediterranean Knights.
Tunisia, who have appeared at a record 17 consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, were left frustrated by several decisions in front of a sell-out crowd at the Stade Taieb Mhiri. Just before half-time, veteran left-back Ali Maaloul was penalised for pulling Muad Eisay’s shirt, and Youssef calmly converted the resulting penalty to put Libya ahead.
El Houni seals famous win
The hosts thought they had equalised early in the second half, but their goal was ruled out for a marginal offside. Three minutes later, El Houni struck a low shot to double Libya’s lead and secure the win, silencing the home crowd.
Tunisia had entered the match still searching for their first win of the qualifying campaign. They began with a 1-1 draw against Uganda in September, then threw away a lead in a 2-2 home draw with Botswana, despite Hazem Mastouri scoring twice. Libya had also made an unconvincing start, drawing 2-2 with Botswana before losing 1-0 to Uganda.
Group H wide open
The result shakes up Group H completely. Libya, who last featured at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012, moved up to second in the group and drew level on points with Uganda. With Uganda automatically qualified as one of the tournament co-hosts alongside Kenya and Tanzania, only one other team from the group will reach the finals in 2027.
Tunisia now sit bottom of the group on two points, level with Botswana, and face a serious risk of missing the tournament for the first time in nearly two decades. Their qualifying record has been poor for months: just one win, four draws and five defeats from their last ten matches. They also missed the injured Mastouri, who had scored both goals against Botswana.
What happened elsewhere
In Group D, South Africa remained a point clear of Guinea at the top after drawing 2-2 with Kenya in Johannesburg. An early own goal by Amos Wanjala gave Bafana Bafana the lead, but Michael Olunga equalised from the penalty spot shortly before the interval. Relebohile Mofokeng restored South Africa’s advantage with 13 minutes remaining, before Ryan Ogam scored in the 90th minute to earn Kenya a point.
Burkina Faso also claimed a late victory, beating Mauritania in Ouagadougou through Elohim Kabore’s 94th-minute goal, moving level with Benin on seven points at the top of Group F. Cape Verde recorded their first points in Group K with a 4-2 win over Liberia in Praia.
Return leg in Tripoli
Tunisia and Libya meet again on Tuesday, 17 November, when Libya host the return fixture at the Tripoli International Stadium. That match will be played behind closed doors as part of a CAF sanction linked to crowd incidents during the 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign against Benin. Tunisia simply cannot afford to leave Tripoli empty-handed if they are to keep their qualification hopes alive.
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Source: SSBCrack News, Yardbarker and beIN SPORTS, 13 November 2026