Mali vs Tunisia prediction 03.01.2026 | Africa Cup of Nations
Mali
Kick off:
Date:
Tunisia
1
3.10
X
2.70
2
2.70
Contents
- Competition: Africa Cup of Nations, 1/8 Finals
- Date: Saturday, 3rd January, 2026
- Kickoff: 19:00 UK / 20:00 CET
- Venue: Stade Mohamed V (Casablanca)
The group stage of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations has ended, and the knockout phase is on the way. On Saturday evening, the second-seeded team from Group A, Mali, will face the second-placed team from Group C, Tunisia, in the Africa Cup of Nations 1/8 Finals. However, to be fair, neither team impressed in the group stage as Mali won just three and Tunisia four points in the first three games.
Let's break down the game and find the best possible bet for this AFCON knockout phase duel.
Mali vs Tunisia Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
Tunisia
1 : 1
Mali
Africa Cup of Nations
-
Tunisia
0 : 0
Mali
CAF World Cup Qualifiers
-
Mali
0 : 1
Tunisia
CAF World Cup Qualifiers
-
Tunisia
1 : 0
Mali
Friendly International
-
Tunisia
1 : 1
Mali
Africa Cup of Nations
-
Tunisia
1 : 2
Mali
African Nations Championship
These teams last met at the 2024 AFCON, where they drew 1:1 in the group stage. That time, Mali eventually finished the group phase as the best team with five points won, and Tunisia finished last with just two points.
Looking further back, these teams played a total of ten H2H games. Mali won four and Tunisia three games.
When it comes to the number of goals, we mostly saw low-scoring duels, with the last six finishing with fewer than three goals. Meanwhile, we saw both teams scoring once in the past five.
Mali team overview
Mali are a team that has never reached the World Cup in their history and has failed to secure a spot in the upcoming 2026 WC in North America. However, they have been really good at AFCONs recently, qualifying for 12 of the past 13 tournaments and often making deep runs. This year, they drew all three games vs Comoros, Zambia, and Morocco. Considering they were big favorites against Zambia and Comoros, they cannot be fully satisfied with their performance. Yet, a win over Tunisia would erase all that, and the popular Eagles will hope for a duel against a winner from the Senegal-Sudan match.
In the previous game against Comoros, midfielder Amadou Haidara received a red card and will serve his suspension against Tunisia.
Last matches of Mali
-
Comoros
0 : 0
Mali
Africa Cup of Nations
-
Morocco
1 : 1
Mali
Africa Cup of Nations
-
Mali
1 : 1
Zambia
Africa Cup of Nations
-
Jordan
0 : 0
Mali
Friendly International
-
Mali
4 : 1
Madagascar
CAF World Cup Qualifiers
Mali lineup
Goalkeeper
-
16
Djigui Diarra
Defenders
-
13
Fodé Doucouré
-
5
Abdoulaye Diaby
-
25
Ousmane Camara
-
28
Nathan Gassama
Midfielders
-
20
Mamadou Sangaré
-
19
Kamory Doumbia
-
10
Yves Bissouma
-
14
Mohamed Camara
Forwards
-
7
Dorgeles Nene
-
17
Lassine Sinayoko
Tunisia team overview
Just before the AFCON, Tunisia managed to secure another World Cup appearance, their third in a row. They have also done fairly well in previous AFCONs, reaching the Quarter-Finals or better in four of the past five tournaments. Still, in the last tournament, they exited the competition in the group stage.
In this AFCON, they have won four points and should have objectively done even better. Now, they are very slight favorites in the duel, with the bookies offering odds around 1.78 and 1.85 to secure the Quarter Finals, while the odds on Mali are between 1.9 and 1.95.
For the game against Mali, the team will be without Elias Achouri, who suffered an injury in the previous round and had to leave the field after 52 minutes. The 26-year-old winger started in all three AFCON games and has scored two goals.
Last matches of Tunisia
-
Tanzania
1 : 1
Tunisia
Africa Cup of Nations
-
Nigeria
3 : 2
Tunisia
Africa Cup of Nations
-
Tunisia
3 : 1
Uganda
Africa Cup of Nations
-
Qatar
0 : 3
Tunisia
Arab Cup
-
Palestine
2 : 2
Tunisia
Arab Cup
Tunisia lineup
Goalkeeper
-
30
Aymen Dahmen
Defenders
-
2
Ali Abdi
-
3
Montassar Talbi
-
6
Dylan Bronn
-
20
Yan Valery
Midfielders
-
10
Hannibal
-
17
Ellyes Skhiri
-
5
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane
-
11
Ismaël Gharbi
Forwards
-
9
Hazem Mastouri
-
26
Sebastian Tounekti
Prediction
Incredibly, Mali drew all three of their games at AFCON. Looking further back, they also drew their friendly against Jordan just before the tournament. On the other hand, Tunisia drew their last game vs Tunisia and have also drawn four out of the last ten games - 40%.
Moreover, with the stakes so high in the knockout phase, draws are pretty common. Since we cannot give either team a clear advantage in terms of performance, we expect a very tight and balanced game.
Considering how close these two teams are in quality, the draws in their last two head-to-head meetings, and Mali's tendency to draw in this tournament, we believe a draw is the most likely outcome in the upcoming clash between Mali and Tunisia.
3 Reasons why we should see a draw
- Mali drew all three games at AFCON
- Tunisia drew four of the last ten games across the competitions
- The previous two h2h games ended as draws
Main prediction Mali - Tunisia
Draw
Best Odds:
20Bet
2.88
