Ellyes Skhiri — Tunisia World Cup 2026 Squad

Career Highlights

Ellyes Skhiri has started every match for Tunisia at two consecutive World Cups — 2018 and 2022 — and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where Tunisia finished fourth. At Cologne he was named Player of the Season in 2020-21 after averaging 3.4 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per Bundesliga match, numbers that made him one of the most effective defensive midfielders in Germany. His transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023 for approximately €6 million represented remarkable value. He averages 12.1 km per match, consistently the highest distance in the Tunisia squad.

Club Career

Skhiri came through Montpellier academy in France and made 95 Ligue 1 appearances before joining Cologne for €6 million in 2019. In his first Bundesliga season he started 33 matches and was voted Cologne second-best player by fans. His consistency over four seasons — 119 appearances, 8 goals — attracted Eintracht Frankfurt, who signed him in 2023. At Frankfurt he has operated as the single pivot in Dino Topmoeller 4-2-3-1, starting 28 Bundesliga matches in 2023-24. His ability to read the game compensates for modest pace, and his positional discipline frees more creative teammates to push forward.

International Career & World Cup History

Skhiri debuted for Tunisia at 21 against Iraq in 2018 and immediately became a starter under Faouzi Benzarti. He played every minute of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Tunisia won their final group match against Panama — their first World Cup win in 40 years. At the 2022 tournament in Qatar he started all three group matches, including a 1-0 win over France. He was part of the Tunisia squad that reached the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals and the 2022 quarter-finals. His 66 caps include appearances at four consecutive AFCON tournaments.

World Cup 2026 Outlook

Tunisia head to a third consecutive World Cup and Skhiri is the player who makes their system function. Without him, the gap between defence and midfield widens dangerously. With him, Tunisia can compress space and frustrate technically superior opponents, exactly as they did against France in 2022. The concern is that at 29 he has accumulated significant mileage — over 250 senior club appearances plus 66 international caps. If he maintains his conditioning, Tunisia defence-first approach can trouble any opponent in a single match. His partnership with Ferjani Sassi allows Tunisia to play with a low block that still carries a counter-attacking threat through Youssef Msakni and Naif Guedioura.