The French-born attacking midfielder surpassed local idols and holds the record for goals for the African country in FIFA’s main tournament
Go straight to the statistical numbers and find out who is Tunisia’s top scorer in the history of the World Cup: the top of the table absolutely belongs to the attacking midfielder Wahbi Khazri. The former number 10 shirt of the national team noted three goals in World Cups and does not share leadership with anyone. The brand was consolidated throughout the editions of Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022), representing more than 20% of all 14 goals ever scored by the Carthage Eagles in the history of the competition.
Goal record against European powers
Born in Corsica, a French territory, Khazri chose to defend his parents’ home country and built his international reputation by punishing European defenses. The path to the record began in the Russian Cup, when the player scored his first goal in the 5-2 defeat against Belgium. In the same edition, he guaranteed the 2-1 victory over Panamataking on the role of the team’s main offensive coordinator once and for all.
The brand was consolidated four years later. At the World Cup in Qatar, number 10 led the Tunisian attack and was the scorer of the only goal in a historic victory over the French teamwho at the time was defending the title of world champion. Although the team fell in the group stage, the feat transformed Khazri into the greatest contemporary hero in local football.
The official ranking of Tunisian goalscorers in FIFA
Tunisia found the net just 14 times in its six historic World Cup appearances (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022). With a low offensive average, the top scorer ranking is extremely fragmented. See the full breakdown:
1. Wahbi Khazri (3 pounds)
The attacking midfielder is the isolated leader and the only Tunisian player to score more than once in the FIFA tournament throughout the country’s history.
2. The pioneers of the 1978 World Cup (1 goal each)
Athletes Ali Kaabi, Mokhtar Dhouieb and Néjib Ghommidh occupy a special place in the rankings. They were responsible for the country’s first goals in World Cups, nailing the 3-1 victory over Mexicowhich marked the first victory for an African team in the history of the World Cup.
3. The list of single goal scorers (1 goal each)
Behind Khazri and the 1978 pioneers, Tunisia’s artillery is diluted into players who only scored once over the decades. The restricted group includes:
- Scandal Souayah (1 goal in France in 1998).
- Raouf Bouzaiene (1 goal in South Korea/Japan in 2002).
- Ziad Jaziri, Radhi Jaïdi and Jawhar Mnari (1 goal each in Germany in 2006).
- Dylan Bronn, Ferjani Sassi and Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (1 goal each in Russia in 2018).
The difference to the team’s absolute artillery
It is common for the public to confuse performance focused on World Cups with the team’s general historical record. When the statistical cut-off covers the Qualifiers, the African Cup of Nations and all official friendlies, the undisputed leader is Issam Jemâa.
The former striker ended his career adding 36 goals for the Tunisian national teamthe highest volume ever recorded by an athlete from the federation. However, Jemâa never managed to score a goal in World Cup games. In this absolute ranking that includes all competitions, Wahbi Khazri maintains excellence and occupies the second place overall with 25 goals scored.
Who can break this mark in the current squad?
As Wahbi Khazri retired from the national team after the end of the campaign in Qatar, the responsibility of breaking the opponents’ block falls on new names. Under the guidance of coach Sami Trabelsi, Tunisia reaches the 2026 World Cup depending on the performance of midfielders and midfielders.
The midfielder Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhanethe team’s absolute top scorer during the African Qualifiers with four goals, is today the main hope in the offensive sector. To unseat or even equal the former number 10’s record, however, the new generation will need to demonstrate a lethal constancy that the African team traditionally has difficulty maintaining on the international stage.
