The Tunisia men's national basketball team (), nicknamed The Eagles of Carthage, represents Tunisia in international basketball. The team is governed by the Tunisia Basketball Federation (FTBB). To date, it has taken part in the regional championship the AfroBasket 23 times. In terms of the number of successful performances, it is inferior to the traditionally strong teams of Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Egypt. In 2011, the Tunisian national team became the champion of Africa for the first time in its history, defeating the Angola team in the AfroBasket 2011 final. The team's previous success was silver at the home Africa Championship 1965. The team also won bronze medals in the 1970, 1974, 2009 and 2015 competitions.
Despite fairly successful performances (the Tunisian national team never finished lower than eighth), the team was unable to repeat or even come close to the successes of the 1970s. The success of the 2009 was quite unexpected, when the team took third place at the AfroBasket 2009. Following the results of the draw, forward Amine Rzig was included in the symbolic team of the tournament, and the team in the preliminary round won 4 games with two defeats, but in three matches the Tunisian team won with a difference of two or one point. Tunisia reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 1974, where they defeated Mali by one point. And although Tunisia lost to Angola in the semi-finals, Cameroon was beaten in the bronze medal match, and the Tunisian team automatically qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. This was also the first time in the team's history that they qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. However, the team performed poorly at the World Cup, losing all five matches in Group B and eventually finishing in 24th place. In 2017 as co-hosts, Tunisia won its second AfroBasket trophy by beating Nigeria 77–65 in the final. It retains its title in 2021 by beating Ivory Coast in the final with a score of 78–75.
At the Arab level, Tunisia participated in the Arab Basketball Championship 14 times, won the title four times in 1981, 1983, 2008, 2009, while it came in second place in 2022 and 2025 and third place five times, the last of which was in 2023.
History
In 2011, they won their first ever FIBA Africa Championship, after beating Angola in the final. Their previous best finish was at the FIBA Africa Championship 1965, when they won the silver medal as the host country.1965 African Championship at FIBA archive They also won a bronze medal at the FIBA Africa Championship 1970 and FIBA Africa Championship 1974.1970 African Championship at FIBA Archive1974 African Championship at FIBA.com
Although the Tunisians never finished worse than eighth in any of their succeeding appearances, they were not able to break onto the podium again until a surprise bronze medal run at the FIBA Africa Championship 2009. Led by All-Tournament First Team forward Amine Rzig,LBA – Gomes Leads All-Star Team the Tunisians went 4–2 in the preliminary rounds, winning three games by two points or less. They reached the semi-finals for only the second time since 1974, by another slim margin – this time a one-point victory over Mali. Although they were defeated by Angola in the semi-finals, the Tunisians topped Cameroon in the bronze medal game, to claim Africa's third and final automatic berth in the 2010 FIBA World Championship – its first ever FIBA World Cup berth. The Tunisians struggled to compete in the World Championship, losing all five of their games, and finishing last in Group B, and 24th overall. Yet, after almost forty years of mediocrity in Africa, Tunisia has become noted as one of the continent's prime competitors again. Its appearances at the global stage have marked a new milestone in the team's history.
Honours
Official competitions AfroBasket Champions: 2011, 2017, 2021 Runner-up: 1965 Third place: 1970, 1974, 2009, 2015 African Games Champions: 1973 Third place: 1978 Arab Championship Champions: 1981, 1983, 2008, 2009 Runner-up: 2022, 2025 Third place: 1991, 1992, 2002, 2007, 2023 Pan Arab Games Third place: 1957, 1985, 1992 Mediterranean Games Third place: 2013
Minor competitions FIBA Stanković Cup Runner-up: 2018 Third place: 2012, 2019 King Abdullah II International Cup Champions: 2008 Runner-up: 2004, 2007, 2011 Third place: 2003, 2021 Czech Republic Basketball Tournament Runner-up: 2019
Awards AfroBasket Most Valuable Player 2011: Salah Mejri 2021: Makram Ben Romdhane
AfroBasket All-Tournament Team 2009: Amine Rzig 2011: Marouan Kechrid, Makrem Ben Romdhane, Salah Mejri 2015: Makram Ben Romdhane (2) 2017: Mourad El Mabrouk, Mohamed Hdidane 2021: Omar Abada, Makram Ben Romdhane (3)
Competitive record
Unlike other team sports, where Tunisia is well positioned at the regional level, the Tunisian men's basketball team has not managed to expand its list of trophies even if at the continental level it can consider among the most awarded countries. Finalist of the African championship held in home in 1965, four times third and twice fourth, Tunisia did not succeed in becoming African champion of the discipline until 2011 without however maintaining its rank since, during the following edition, it is relegated to ninth place.
At the Arab level, the prize list is more extensive with four champion titles, in 1981, 1983, 2008 and 2009, a second place and three third places. On 28 August 2011, the team won the AfroBasket for the first time after defeating Angola 67–56 in the final and qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2017 as co-hosts, Tunisia won its second AfroBasket by beating Nigeria 77–65 in the final. It retains its title in 2021 by beating Ivory Coast in the final with a score of 78–75. On 16 February 2022, Tunisia lost the final of the 2022 Arab Championship against Lebanon 69–72 in the United Arab Emirates.
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Olympic Games Olympic GamesYearRoundPosition 1936Part of France 1948 1952 1956Did not qualify 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012Group stage11th505320411−91 2016Did not qualify 2020 2024TotalGroup stage1/18505320411−91
FIBA World Cup World CupYearRoundPosition 1950Part of France 1954 1959Did not qualify 1963 1967 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010Group stage24th505300407−107 2014Did not qualify 2019Group stage20th532377386−9 2023Did not qualify 2027To be determined 2031TotalGroup stage2/181037677793−116
AfroBasket AfroBasketYearRoundPosition 1962Did not enter 1964Fourth place4th523300297 +3 1965Runners-up2nd422212217−5 1968Did not enter 1970Third place3rd422268220 +48 1972Group stage5th642482398 +84 1974Third place3rd642471451 +20 1975Classification stage5th505411426−15 1978Did not enter 1980 1981Classification stage6th532295355−60 1983Did not enter 1985Classification stage8th624402467−65 1987Classification stage5th422292294 −2 1989Classification stage8th624488512 −24 1992Classification stage7th514284308 −24 1993Classification stage8th514410451 −41 1995Did not enter 1997 1999Classification stage5th642314309 +5 2001Fourth place4th743536522 +14 2003Classification stage6th633433389 +44 2005Quarter-finals8th826527529 −2 2007Quarter-finals6th633428415 +13 2009Third place3rd963659641 +18 2011Champions1st770544375 +169 2013Round of 169th541382311 +71 2015Third place3rd761484425 +59 2017Champions1st660428347 +81 2021Champions1st660470383 +87 2025Round of 1612th413266320−54Total3 Titles24/31138776197869362+424
AfroCan AfroCanYearRoundPosition 2019Quarterfinals 7th 5 3 2356339 +17 2023Quarterfinals 5th 5 4 1335306 +29 2027To be determinedTotalQuarterfinals2/31073691645+46
Other records TournamentRoundPosition 1957 Pan Arab GamesThird place3rd–––––– 1973 African GamesChampions1st–––––– 1978 African GamesThird place3rd–––––– 1981 Arab ChampionshipChampions1st–––––– 1983 Arab ChampionshipChampions1st–––––– 1985 Pan Arab GamesThird place3rd–––––– 1991 Arab ChampionshipThird place3rd–––––– 1992 Arab ChampionshipThird place3rd–––––– 1992 Pan Arab GamesThird place3rd–––––– 2002 Arab ChampionshipThird place3rd–––––– 2003 King's CupThird place3rd–––––– 2004 King's CupRunners-up2nd–––––– 2007 King's CupRunners-up2nd–––––– 2007 Arab ChampionshipThird place3rd–––––– 2008 Arab ChampionshipChampions1st–––––– 2008 King's CupChampions1st–––––– 2009 Arab ChampionshipChampions1st–––––– 2011 King's CupRunners-up2nd–––––– 2012 Stanković CupThird place3rd422249259–10 2013 Mediterranean GamesThird place3rd422273258 +15 2018 Stanković CupRunners-up2nd–––––– 2019 Stanković CupThird place3rd–––––– 2019 Czech Republic TournamentRunners-up2nd–––––– 2021 King's CupThird place3rd–––––– 2022 Arab ChampionshipRunners-up2nd541357298 +59 2023 Arab ChampionshipThird place3rd752524511 +13 2025 Arab ChampionshipRunners-up2nd651506448 +58
Team Current roster Team for the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket.
Past rosters FIBA Africa Championship 1989: finished 8th among 12 teams
4 Chedli Njah, 5 Akran Ben, 6 Mounir Gara-Ali, 7 Lothi Ghrib, 8 Cherif Teleb, 9 Sami Housseini, 10 Salah Ben Mbarek, 11 Moslem Haddad, 12 Skander Nabli, 13 Mortadha Ben, 14 Mounir Nefzi, 15 Chokri Ben Yedder.
FIBA Africa Championship 1992: finished 7th among 12 teams
4 Maher Khenfir, 5 Lothi Ghrib, 6 Aouzi Trabelsi, 7 Sami Housseini, 8 Lamjed N'Jah, 9 Ahdenchmln Trabelsi, 10 Salah Ben Mbarek, 11 Moslem Haddad, 12 Nabil Ben Tini, 13 Houssam Eddine Yousfi, 14 Mounir Nefzi, 15 Chokri Ben Yedder.
FIBA Africa Championship 1993: finished 8th among 12 teams
4 Jilain Mahjoubi, 5 Mohamud Fateh, 6 Aouzi Trabelsi, 7 Lothi Ghrib, 8 Nahil Aquij, 9 Ahdenchmln Trabelsi, 10 Sami Housseini, 11 Mounir Graali, 12 Anis Hantous, 13 Walid Ben Taieb, 14 Mounir Nefzi, 15 Chokri Ben Yedder.
FIBA Africa Championship 1999: finished 5th among 12 teams
4 Habib el-Ouaer, 5 Slim Rajhi, 6 Walid Ben Taieb, 7 Sami Housseini, 8 Atef Maoua, 9 Wassef Kechrid, 10 Ali Amri, 11 Madji Boulaabi, 12 Sofiane Tebbini, 13 Amor Bouzarod, 14 Madji Essalaoui, 15 Madji Maalaoui.
2001 FIBA Africa Championship: finished 4th among 12 teams
4 Habib el-Ouaer, 5 Ali Amri, 6 Mehdj Mahmoud, 7 Atef Maoua, 8 Lamjed N'Jah, 9 Marouan Kechrid, 10 Madji Boulaabi, 11 Radhouane Slimane, 12 Souhaiel Kechrid, 13 Walid Ben Taieb, 14 Heithem Sayed, 15 Madji Maalaoui (Coach: Adel Tlatli)
2003 FIBA Africa Championship: finished 6th among 12 teams
Haythem Essayed, Maher Khanfir, Amine Rzig, Rached Ben Mabrouk, Ali Amri, Mourad Ben Hassine, Atef Maoua, Issam Ben Douissa, Radhouane Slimane, Walid Bouslama, Fouad Stiti, Khaled Yahiaoui (Coach: Marijan Novović)
2005 FIBA Africa Championship: finished 6th among 12 teams
4 Radhouane Slimane, 5 Ali el-Amri, 6 Oussama ben Lofti Ferjani, 7 Naim Dhifallah, 8 Oualid Bouslama, 9 Marouan Kechrid, 10 Maher Khenfir, 11 Marouen Lahmar, 12 Atef Maoua, 13 Fouhed Stiti, 14 Samy Ouellani, 15 Mejdi Maalaoui (Coach: Adel Tlatli)
AfroBasket 2007: finished 6th among 16 teams
4 Radhouane Slimane, 5 Ali el-Amri, 6 Nizar Knioua, 7 Naim Dhifallah, 8 Marouan Laghnej, 9 Fouhed Stiti, 10 Atef Maoua, 11 Walid Dhouibi, 12 Omar Mouhli, 13 Amine Rzig, 14 Hamdi Braa, 15 Mejdi Maalaoui (Coach: Adel Tlatli)
AfroBasket 2009: finished 3rd among 16 teams
4 Mokhtar Ghyaza, 5 Marouen Lahmar, 6 Nizar Knioua, 7 Naim Dhifallah, 8 Marouan Kechrid, 9 Mohamed Hdidane, 10 Atef Maoua, 11 Makram Ben Romdhane, 12 Anis Hedidane, 13 Amine Rzig, 14 Hamdi Braa, 15 Salah Mejri (Coach: Adel Tlatli)
2010 FIBA World Championship: finished 24th among 24 teams
4 Radhouane Slimane, 5 Marouan Laghnej, 6 Nizar Knioua, 7 Naim Dhifallah, 8 Marouan Kechrid, 9 Mohamed Hdidane, 10 Atef Maoua, 11 Mokhtar Ghyaza, 12 Makrem Ben Romdhane, 13 Amine Rzig, 14 Hamdi Braa, 15 Salah Mejri (Coach: Adel Tlatli)
AfroBasket 2011: finished 1st among 16 teams