What to know about Tunisia's Carthage Eagles

Teams Profile: Tunisia

Nickname: Carthage Eagles

FIFA RANKING: 72

HOW THEY QUALIFIED:

The Carthage Eagles put up a convincing display over two legs to cruise past neighbours Egypt in the first round before they silenced two-time winners Equatorial Guinea to realise their long sought return to the continent since 2008.

First Round - Egypt 2-6 Tunisia (0-1)

Second Round - Tunisia 5-0 Equatorial Guinea (2-3)

**PREPARATIONS: **

The Tunisians suffered a mere preparation setback in April after their botched two-match friendly with WAFCON finalists Togo. However, they are scheduled to begin final build up in June when most players abroad are back home.

COACH: Samir Landolsi

Landolsi was behind the Cartharge Eagles' qualification to their maiden tournament in 2008. And the former UAE handler, who is on his fourth stint in charge since his return in 2021, has achieved a similar feat and will now be poise to guide them past the group stage for the first time on second attempt.

KEY PLAYERS:

Mariem Houij

The 27-year-old striker finished as the joint-topscorer with six goals during the 2022 TotalEnergies WAFCON qualifying series. The Tunisian is the leading topscorer in the Turkish topflight, with 26 goals for ALG Spor. Following her expliots at club and country, she is no doubt one of the top stars to watch

Ella Kaabachi

The France based striker is another experienced leg in the fold of the Tunisian. Kaabachia, who currently plays for French topflight side Soyaux was one of the North Africans' top performers during the qualifiers, scoring three goals. She can be relied upon to inspire the Cartharge Eagles to continental success.

Sabrine Louzi

The 24-year-old forward is on the books of the Netherlands' Eredivisie outfit Excelsior, scoring six goals so far this season. She was outstand during qualifying campaign, scoring thrice and can be looked on to deliver goals in the finals.