The Algeria–Tunisia football rivalry or the Maghreb derby is a football rivalry between the national football teams of Algeria and Tunisia, having achieved three Africa Cup of Nations and two Arab Cups between the two countries.

The two nations have played 48 games against each other; Algeria leads in wins with 18 to Tunisia's 15, with the two sides drawing 15 times. The first unofficial match took place on 1 June 1957, in a friendly match between Tunisia and the FLN football team, when Algeria was a French colony. After the independence of Algeria, the first official match took place on 15 December 1963, in a friendly match at the Stade Chedly Zouiten in Tunisia.

The last defeat of Algeria against their neighbours dated back to 20 January 2017, during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations which was hosted by Gabon. The last match between the two teams was played in Annaba as part of a friendly match on 20 June 2023 and ended in a 1–1 draw.

Background Algeria, for its part, has participated four times in the biggest football event in the world: 1982, 1986, 2010 and 2014. Tunisia has participated six times in the FIFA World Cup, the biggest men's football event in the world, in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022. The two have qualified together to the World Cup for the first time in 2026. YearAlgeriaTunisiaQualificationRoundQualificationRound 1978Did not qualify – Second round loserQualified – Final round winnerGroup stage 1982Qualified – Final round winnerGroup stageDid not qualify – First round loser 1986Qualified – Final round winnerGroup stageDid not qualify – Third round loser 1998Did not qualify – First round loserQualified – Final round winnerGroup stage 2002Did not qualify – Second round loserQualified – Second round winnerGroup stage 2006Did not qualify – Second round loserQualified – Second round winnerGroup stage 2010Qualified – Tiebreaking play-off winnerGroup stageDid not qualify – Third round loser 2014Qualified – Third round winnerRound of 16Did not qualify – Third round loser 2018Did not qualify – Third round loserQualified – Third round winnerGroup stage 2022Did not qualify – Third round loserQualified – Third round winnerGroup stage 2026Qualified – CAF Group G winnerRound of 32Qualified – CAF Group H winnerGroup stage

History

20th century The Maghreb derby between Algeria and Tunisia is one of the most enjoyable matches in Africa, due to the geographical proximity and historical relations between the two countries. After Tunisia's independence and before Algeria's independence, Tunisia played a series of matches against the FLN football team, who was a team made up mainly of professional players in France, who then joined the Algerian independence movement of the National Liberation Front. The first match between the two countries after their independence was played on 15 December 1963 at the Chedly Zouiten Stadium in Tunis and ended in a 0–0 draw.

A year later in 1964, the two teams faced each other in the 1965 All–Africa Games qualification, where Algeria qualified. In 1968, the two teams met in the first round of the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification. Tunisia won the first leg 2–1 and drew the second leg 0–0 to qualify for the next round. In 1975, the two teams faced each other in the 1976 African Cup of Nations qualification, after a 0–0 draw in the first leg, Tunisia won the second leg 2–1. In the same year, the two teams played against each other in the 1976 Summer Olympics qualification, which ended with Tunisia winning 3–2 on aggregate. Algeria beat Tunisia in the football tournament of the 1975 Mediterranean Games, which it hosted, with a score of 2–1. In 1977, Tunisia beat Algeria in the second round of the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification, winning 2–0 in the first leg and drawing 1–1 in the second leg, sending Tunisia through to the next round, which qualified them for the World Cup for the first time.

The two teams met again at the football tournament of the 1979 Mediterranean Games in Omiš, Yugoslavia, which ended in a 1–1 draw. In the football tournament of the 1983 Mediterranean Games in El Jadida, Morocco, Tunisia beat Algeria 3–2. In 1985, during the final round of the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification, Algeria beat Tunisia 7–1 on aggregate, winning 4–1 in the first leg and 3–0 in the second leg, to qualify for the World Cup for the second time. In 1999, Tunisia beat Algeria home and away in Group 7 of the 2000 African Cup of Nations qualification, 1–0 home and 2–0 away.

21st century At the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in Rustenburg, South Africa, Algeria and Tunisia faced off in Group D with the Eagles of Carthage wins the match with a goal from Youssef Msakni from outside the penalty area in the 90+1 minute. Msakni's goal was voted the best goal of the tournament by the Confederation of African Football.

At the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Franceville, Gabon, Algeria and Tunisia faced off in Group B. Tunisia had to make up for it in the second match against Algeria. Tunisia took the lead in the 50th minute after a cross from Youssef Msakni was turned into his own net by Aïssa Mandi. About ten minutes later, Faouzi Ghoulam brought down Wahbi Khazri in the area, earning a penalty kick that Naïm Sliti converted in the 66th minute. In the 92nd minute, Adlène Guedioura passed the ball inside the penalty area to Sofiane Hanni, who put it in the net of goalkeeper Aymen Mathlouthi, who was unable to stop it. The match ended with a 2−1 tunisian victory.

On 18 December 2021, the two teams played against each other in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup final at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. The game went to extra-time and nine minutes into the first-half, Algeria's Amir Sayoud scored with a long range left footed shot into the left corner of the net. As Tunisia desperately tried to level the match deep into added on time, the ball broke from a Tunisia corner and reached Yacine Brahimi who ran into the penalty area before shooting into the empty net from six yards out to put Algeria 2–0 up.

List of matches National Teams #DateLocationHome TeamScoreAway teamCompetitionHome TeamAway team115 December 1963 Tunis, Tunisia0–0Friendly——227 December 1964 Algiers, Algeria1–01965 All-Africa Games qualificationBentahar —314 March 1964 Tunis, Tunisia0–0——417 November 1968 Algiers, Algeria1–21970 FIFA World Cup qualificationAmirouche Chakroun 529 December 1968 Tunis, Tunisia0–0——65 June 1972 Tunis, Tunisia3–1FriendlyAkid Gamouh 716 November 1972 Tunis, Tunisia1–2FriendlyHabita Dali 811 May 1974 Algiers, Algeria1–2FriendlyGamouh Melki Lahzami 923 March 1975 Tunis, Tunisia1–11976 African Cup of Nations qualificationHabita Gamouh 106 April 1975 Oran, Algeria1–2Ighil Khouini 1111 May 1975 Algiers, Algeria1–11976 Summer Olympics qualificationMadani Habita 121 June 1975 Tunis, Tunisia2–1Agrebi Liman Belkedrouci 134 September 1975 Algiers, Algeria2–1 1975 Mediterranean GamesNaïm Draoui Kammoun 146 February 1977 Tunis, Tunisia2–01978 FIFA World Cup qualificationAkid Kaabi —1528 February 1977 Algiers, Algeria1–1Guendouz Jebali 1623 September 1979 Omiš, Yugoslavia1–11979 Mediterranean GamesBousri Bayari 177 February 1982 Tunis, Tunisia0–1Friendly—Assad 1819 December 1982 Tunis, Tunisia0–1Friendly—Guemri 1911 September 1983 El Jadida, Morocco3–21983 Mediterranean GamesHergal Rakbaoui Ben Messaoud Belloumi Guendouz 2030 December 1984 Abidjan, Ivory Coast3–1Friendly (Abidjan Tournament)Jefjef Yahi Hsoumi 211 May 1985 Tunis, Tunisia1–0FriendlyMaâloul —226 October 1985 Tunis, Tunisia1–41986 FIFA World Cup qualificationRakbaoui Madjer Menad Kaci-Saïd 2318 October 1985 Algiers, Algeria3–0Madjer Menad Yahi —2411 January 1987 Tunis, Tunisia0–21987 All-Africa Games qualification—Belloumi Menad —21 February 1987 Algiers, AlgeriaCancelled———2527 March 1987 Algiers, Algeria1–01988 African Cup of Nations qualificationMadjer —2612 April 1987 Tunis, Tunisia1–1Rakbaoui Menad 2711 December 1987 Algiers, Algeria0–01988 Arab Cup——285 November 1988 Tunis, Tunisia1–0FriendlyRakbaoui —294 April 1989 Algiers, Algeria2–0FriendlyHadj Adlane Menni —301 November 1989 Tunis, Tunisia0–0Friendly——315 March 1991 Annaba, Algeria2–1FriendlyRahem Bounâas Khmiri 327 April 1991 Tunis, Tunisia0–0Friendly——3323 September 1992 Tunis, Tunisia1–1FriendlyHamrouni Meziane 3416 December 1994 Sfax, Tunisia1–0FriendlyBechaouch —3522 July 1995 Algiers, Algeria2–1FriendlyLazizi Kaci-Saïd Ben Hassen 365 November 1995 Tunis, Tunisia2–0Friendly (7th November Cup)Sellimi Ben Hassen —374 January 1997 Sfax, Tunisia0–0Friendly——3831 May 1997 Tunis, Tunisia0–1Friendly—3922 January 1999 Algiers, Algeria0–12000 African Cup of Nations qualification—Rouissi 406 June 1999 Tunis, Tunisia2–0Mhedhebi Thabet —4128 June 2000 Tunis, Tunisia2–2FriendlyMhedhebi Abaci Meçabih 4212 November 2011 Blida, Algeria1–0FriendlyBoudebouz —4322 January 2013 Rustenburg, South Africa1–02013 Africa Cup of NationsMsakni —4411 January 2015 Radès, Tunisia1–1FriendlyKhazri Cadamuro 4519 January 2017 Franceville, Gabon1–22017 Africa Cup of NationsHanni Mandi Sliti 4626 March 2019 Blida, Algeria1–0FriendlyBounedjah —4711 June 2021 Radès, Tunisia0–2Friendly—Bounedjah Mahrez 4818 December 2021 Al Khor, Qatar0–2 2021 FIFA Arab Cup final—Sayoud Brahimi 4920 June 2023 Annaba, Algeria1–1FriendlyMahrez Talbi

Local Teams #DateLocationHome TeamScoreAway teamCompetitionHome TeamAway team115 December 1963 Tunis, Tunisia1–1 2011 African Nations ChampionshipDjabou Gasdaoui

Major encounters 1975 Mediterranean Games

1979 Mediterranean Games

2013 Africa Cup of Nations

2017 Africa Cup of Nations

2021 FIFA Arab Cup

Statistics

Overall CompetitionMatchesAlgeria WinsDrawsTunisia WinsAlgeria GoalsTunisia GoalsGoals DifferenceAfrica Cup of Nations200213–2FIFA World Cup qualification622296 +3Africa Cup of Nations qualification612347–3Summer Olympics qualification201123–1African Games qualification321030 +3Mediterranean Games3111550FIFA Arab Cup2110202Friendly Match2511862519 +6Total491816155143+8

Titles AlgeriaCompetitionTunisia2 (1990, 2019)Africa Cup of Nations1 (2004)0African Nations Championship1 (2011)1 (2021)FIFA Arab Cup1 (1963)1 (1991)Afro-Asian Cup of Nations04Aggregate3

See also Algeria–Tunisia border Algeria–Tunisia relations References

External links Algeria v Tunisia head to head at 11v11