Tunisia men's national handball team
The Tunisian national handball team (Arabic: منتخب تونس لكرة اليد), nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage (The Eagles of Carthage or The Carthage Eagles), is the national handball team of Tunisia. It is governed by the Tunisian Handball Federation and takes part in international handball competitions.
| Tunisia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Information | |||
| Nickname | The eagles of Carthage (نسور قرطاج) | ||
| Association | Tunisian Handball Federation | ||
| Coach | Patrick Cazal | ||
| Assistant coach | Wissem Hmam Mohamed Riadh Sanaa | ||
| Most caps | Issam Tej (316) | ||
| Most goals | Oussama Boughanmi (865) | ||
| Colours | |||
| |||
| Results | |||
| Summer Olympics | |||
| Appearances | 4 (First in 1972) | ||
| Best result | 8th (2012) | ||
| World Championship | |||
| Appearances | 16 (First in 1967) | ||
| Best result | 4th (2005) | ||
| African Championship | |||
| Appearances | 26 (First in 1974) | ||
| Best result | 1st (1974, 1976, 1979, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018) | ||
| Last updated on Unknown. | |||
The Tunisian Handball League was established in 1953. In 1957, the Tunisian Handball Federation was founded and was later admitted into the International Handball Federation in 1962.
The Tunisian national handball team has participated in handball world championships. In 2005 Tunisia finished in 4th place; becoming the second non-European team to reach the World Championship semi-finals after Egypt who was able to reach the semi-final match in 2001. The Tunisian national handball team won the African Nations Championship for a record 10 times (1974, 1976, 1979, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018). The Tunisians won the 2018 African Championship in Gabon by defeating Egypt in the final match.
History
Tunisia is the most successful team in the African Nations Championship with ten titles won in 1974, 1976, 1979, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2018, and played in the final eight times in 1985, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2016 and 2020. They also won a bronze medal six times in 1981, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 2000.
At the World Championships, in 2005 it obtained the best performance obtained by an African country, a fourth place, thus equaling Egypt (place obtained in 2001).
During the 2005–06 season, Heykel Megannem was voted the best player in the French championship, with Wissem Hmam and Issam Tej also being in the standard team, respectively as left-back and pivot.
Following the 2009 world championship, the federation sidelined Issam Tej for "indiscipline, insolence and recidivism" and Makram Missaoui for "having refused to resume play against Poland", while Maher Kraiem was suspended for three months for “misconduct”.
The team is coached by the Croatian Sead Hasanefendić until June 2008, before being replaced by the Serb Zoran Živković from 24 October 2008. However, the federation dismisses him following the poor performance of the team during the 2009 world championship. He was replaced by the Tunisian Sayed Ayari and then, in June 2009, by the Frenchman Alain Portes, who signed a three-year contract.
In 2013, Alain Portes' contract was not being renewed, so he took over from Olivier Krumbholz at the head of the French women's team and was replaced by Sead Hasanefendić, back at the head of the national team for the following three seasons. In 2020, coach Toni Gerona is dismissed.
Infrastructure
The El Menzah Sports Palace, built in 1967, is the hall of the national team. Built for the 2005 World Men's Handball Championship, of which it hosted the final and all of Tunisia's matches, the Salle Omnisport de Radès now hosted most of the national team's matches.
Honours
Official competitions
- Champions (10) : 1974, 1976, 1979, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018
- Runners-up: 1985, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2020
- Third Place: 1981, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2000, 2024
- Champions: 1985
- Third Place: 1992, 2011
Minor tournaments
World cup
- Runners-up: 2006
Yellow Cup
- Champions: 2007, 2015, 2016, 2019
- Runners-up: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2020
- Third Place: 2008, 2010
Paris Ile-de-France tournament
- Champions: 2005
- Third Place: 1998, 2002, 2007, 2013
Championnat maghrébin des nations
- Champions : 1969, 1971, 1973
Tunisia international tournament
- Champions: 2015, 2017, 2021
Four Nations Cup Poland
- Champions: 2021, 2022
Challenge Marrane
- Champions: 2008
Four Nations Tournament
- Runners-up: 2015
Air Caraïbes Cup
- Runners-up: 2019
Spain international tournament
- Third Place: 1999, 2002, 2012
Three Nations Cup Tunisia
- Champions: 2023
Competitive record
Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
- Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Olympic Games
| Tunisia in the Olympic Games | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1936 Berlin | did not enter | ||||||||
| Not held from 1948 to 1968 | |||||||||
| 1972 Munich | Match for 15th place | 16th of 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 72 | 118 | −46 |
| 1976 Montreal | Withdrawn after two games | ||||||||
| 1980 Moscow | did not qualify | ||||||||
| 1984 Los Angeles | |||||||||
| 1988 Seoul | |||||||||
| 1992 Barcelona | |||||||||
| 1996 Atlanta | |||||||||
| 2000 Sydney | Match for 9th place | 10th of 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 130 | 141 | −11 |
| 2004 Athens | did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2008 Beijing | |||||||||
| 2012 London | Quarter-finals | 8th of 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 144 | 150 | −6 |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Group stage | 12th of 12 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 118 | 145 | −27 |
| 2020 Tokyo | did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2024 Paris | |||||||||
| Total | 4/15 | 0 Titles | 22 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 464 | 554 | −90 |
World Championship
| Tunisia in the World Championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | |||
| 1938 | did not enter | ||||||||
| 1954 | |||||||||
| 1958 | |||||||||
| 1961 | |||||||||
| 1964 | |||||||||
| 1967 | Group stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 1970 | did not enter | ||||||||
| 1974 | |||||||||
| 1978 | |||||||||
| 1982 | |||||||||
| 1986 | |||||||||
| 1990 | |||||||||
| 1993 | |||||||||
| 1995 | Quarter-finals | 15th | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 1997 | Quarter-finals | 16th | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |||
| 1999 | Quarter-finals | 12th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2001 | Quarter-finals | 10th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2003 | Quarter-finals | 14th | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 2005 | Semi-final | 4th | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | |||
| 2007 | Quarter-finals | 11th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 2009 | Group stage | 17th | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |||
| 2011 | Group stage | 20th | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |||
| 2013 | Quarter-finals | 11th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2015 | Quarter-finals | 15th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2017 | Group stage | 19th | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||
| / 2019 | Main round | 12th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 2021 | Presidents Cup | 25th | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |||
| / 2023 | Presidents Cup | 25th | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |||
| // 2025 | qualified | ||||||||
| 2027 | to be determined | ||||||||
| / 2029 | |||||||||
| // 2031 | |||||||||
| Total | 17/21 | 104 | 41 | 8 | 55 | ||||
- Tunisia did not compete From 1938 to 1964 and 1970 to 1993.
- Red border color indicates tournament was held on home :soil.
African Championship
| Tunisia in the African Championship | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | |||
| 1974 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1976 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1979 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1981 | Third place | 3rd | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1983 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 1985 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 1987 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 1989 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 1991 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1992 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1994 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1996 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1998 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2000 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2002 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2004 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2006 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2008 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2010 | Champions | 1st | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2012 | Champions | 1st | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2014 | Runners-up | 2nd | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2016 | Runners-up | 2nd | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2018 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2022 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2024 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Total | 10 Titles | 26/26 | 152 | 124 | 5 | 23 | |||
African Games
| Tunisia in the African Games | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1965 Brazzaville | Semi-final | 3rd of 8 | |||||||
| 1973 Lagos | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1978 Algiers | Final | 2nd of 6 | |||||||
| 1987 Nairobi | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1991 Cairo | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1995 Harare | withdrew | ||||||||
| 1999 Johannesburg | did not participate | ||||||||
| 2003 Abuja | did not participate | ||||||||
| 2007 Algiers | Semi-final | 3rd of 7 | |||||||
| 2011 Maputo | did not participate | ||||||||
| 2015 Brazzaville | did not participate | ||||||||
| 2019 Rabat | did not participate | ||||||||
| Total | 3/12 | 0 Titles | |||||||
Mediterranean Games
| Tunisia in the Mediterranean Games | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1967 Tunis | Third place | 3rd of 3 | |||||||
| 1971 İzmir | Tournament canceled | ||||||||
| 1975 Algiers | 4th place | 4th of 5 | |||||||
| 1979 Split | Third place | 3rd of 7 | |||||||
| 1983 Casablanca | 4th place | 4th of 8 | |||||||
| 1987 Latakia | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1991 Athens | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1993 Languedoc-Roussillon | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1997 Bari | Eighth place | 8th of 13 | |||||||
| 2001 Tunis | Runners-up | 2nd of 8 | |||||||
| 2005 Almería | Third place | 3rd of 10 | |||||||
| 2009 Pescara | Third place | 3rd of 9 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 166 | 161 | +5 |
| 2013 Mersin | Seven Place | 7th of 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 142 | 130 | +12 |
| 2018 Tarragona | Runners-up | 2nd of 13 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 154 | 127 | +27 |
| 2022 Oran | Fifth Place | 5th of 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 138 | 129 | +9 |
| Total | 11/14 | 0 Title | |||||||
Pan Arab Games
| Tunisia in the Pan Arab Games | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1961 Casablanca | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1965 Cairo | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1976 Damascus | did not participate | ||||||||
| 1985 Rabat | Final | Champions | |||||||
| 1992 Damascus | Semi-final | Third place | |||||||
| 1997 Beirut | Tournament canceled | ||||||||
| 1999 Amman | did not participate | ||||||||
| 2004 Algiers | Tournament canceled | ||||||||
| 2007 Cairo | did not participate | ||||||||
| 2011 Doha | Semi-final | Third place | |||||||
| Total | 3/10 | 1 Titles | |||||||
Other records
| Other records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position |
| 1969 Maghreb Nations Championship | Final | Champions |
| 1971 Maghreb Nations Championship | Final | Champions |
| 1973 Maghreb Nations Championship | Final | Champions |
| 1998 Paris Ile-de-France tournament | Semi-final | Third place |
| 1999 Spain international tournament | Semi-final | Third place |
| 2002 Paris Ile-de-France tournament | Semi-final | Third place |
| 2002 Yellow Cup | Final | Runners-up |
| 2002 Spain international tournament | Semi-final | Third place |
| 2003 Yellow Cup | Final | Runners-up |
| 2004 Yellow Cup | Final | Runners-up |
| 2005 Paris Ile-de-France tournament | Final | Champions |
| 2006 World cup | Final | Runners-up |
| 2007 Paris Ile-de-France tournament | Semi-final | Third place |
| 2007 Yellow Cup | Final | Champions |
| 2008 Challenge Marrane | Final | Champions |
| 2008 Yellow Cup | Semi-final | Third place |
| 2010 Yellow Cup | Semi-final | Third place |
| 2012 Spain international tournament | Semi-final | Third place |
| 2013 Paris Ile-de-France tournament | Semi-final | Third place |
| 2015 Yellow Cup | Final | Champions |
| 2015 Tunisia international tournament | Final | Champions |
| 2015 Four Nations Tournament | Final | Runners-up |
| 2016 Yellow Cup | Final | Champions |
| 2017 Tunisia international tournament | Final | Champions |
| 2019 Yellow Cup | Final | Champions |
| 2019 Air Caraïbes Cup | Final | Runners-up |
| 2020 Yellow Cup | Final | Runners-up |
| 2021 Tunisia international tournament | Final | Champions |
| 2021 Four Nations Cup Poland | Final | Champions |
| 2022 Four Nations Cup Poland | Final | Champions |
Team
Current squad
Squad for the 2023 World Men's Handball Championship.[1][2]
Head coach: Patrick Cazal
|
Head coaches
| Period | Head Coach | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| 1957–1962 | Yves Boulogne | — |
| 1962 | Michel Djulizibaric | — |
| 1962–1966 | Mohamed Louahchy | — |
| 1966–1968 | Constantin Popa & Haralambie Firan | — |
| 1968–1972 | Haralambie Firan | — |
| 1973–1975 | Ion Popescu | 1974 |
| 1976–1979 | Saïd Amara | 1976 |
| 1979–1982 | Hachemi Razgallah | 1979 |
| 1982–1983 | Guennadi Antchenko | 1981 |
| 1983–1985 | Reiner Ganschow | 1983 1985 |
| 1985–1987 | Sayed Ayari | 1987 1989 |
| 1987–1989 | Moncef Hajjar | — |
| 1989–1990 | Saïd Amara | — |
| 1990–1991 | Lamjed Amroussi | 1991 |
| 1991–1994 | Hachemi Razgallah | 1992 |
| 1994–1996 | Sayed Ayari & Saïd Amara | 1994 1996 1998 |
| 1996–1997 | Saïd Amara | — |
| 1997 | Brahim Agrebi | — |
| 1997–1998 | Noureddine Ben Ameur | — |
| 1998–2003 | Sayed Ayari & Saïd Amara | 2000 2002 |
| 2003 | Sayed Ayari | — |
| 2004 | Zoran Živković | 2004 |
| 2004–2008 | Sead Hasanefendić | 2006 2008 |
| 2008–2009 | Zoran Živković | — |
| 2009 | Sayed Ayari | — |
| 2009–2014 | Alain Portes | 2010 2012 |
| 2014–2015 | Sead Hasanefendić | 2014 |
| 2015–2016 | Sylvain Nouet | 2016 |
| 2016–2017 | Hafedh Zouabi | — |
| 2017–2020 | Toni Gerona | 2018 2020 |
| 2020–2022 | Sami Saïdi | — |
| 2022– | Patrick Cazal | 2024 |
Notable players
See also
- Tunisian Handball Federation
- Tunisia women's national handball team
- Tunisia men's national junior handball team
- Tunisia men's national youth handball team
- Tunisia women's national junior handball team
- Tunisia women's national youth handball team
- Other handball codes
References
- "Mondial Pologne/Suède 2023 : la liste de la Tunisie pour le mondial" (in French). handball.tn. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- "Team Roster Tunisia" (PDF). ihf.info. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.