Find out how Espérance prepared for the Club World Cup

First team to cross paths with Flamengo at the Club World Cup , starting at 10 pm (Brasília time) this Monday, the 16th, at Lincoln Financial Field, Esperance de Túnis, from Tunisia, is far from being the favorite in a group that also has Chelsea, from England, and León, from Mexico. Despite this, they arrive with high self-esteem to try to surprise their opponents, after a great season.

The current national champion of their country, Esperance won the Turkish Cup as their last act before traveling to the United States for the World Cup. In addition, they were runners-up in the African Champions League, a tournament they have won four times, the last time in 2019.

Without the continental title in the qualifying period for the FIFA tournament, it secured classification via ranking, largely due to its consistency in participation in the African Cup, in which it has played in the last 14 editions.

In the 2024/2025 season, the Tunis team took a while to find its feet, so much so that it had four coaches. After frustrations with the Portuguese Miguel Cardoso, the Tunisian interim Skander Kasri and the Romanian Lauren?iu Reghecampf, the situation changed with the arrival of Maher Kanzari.

Under the coach's command, Esperánce won 9 of 12 matches played by settling into an efficient 4-3-3 formation, characterized by wide transitions organized by their wingers.

One of the members of the offensive system is Brazilian Yan Sasse, who scored 15 goals in 38 games this season. The player from Porto Alegre has already played for Vasco, Coritiba and América-MG , his last team in Brazil, in 2022. The following year, he transferred to Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand, before moving to Tunisia.

Another important name in the squad is Algerian Youcef Belali, who has nine goals and six assists. Houssen Tika, responsible for seven assists, also frequently contributes to the team's offensive power.

Tunisian tradition

Founded on January 15, 1919, during the French colonial period in Tunisia, Espérance is the oldest football club in the country. It emerged as a symbol of resistance and national identity and was named after the "Espérance" café, where it was founded by a group of local youth.

Based in the capital Tunis, the club quickly became a dominant force in national football. Since the creation of the Tunisian league, the club has won 29 league titles. Its passionate and large fan base is known for turning the Radès Olympic Stadium into a cauldron on match days.

On the continental stage, the club won the CAF Champions League for the first time in 1994 and returned to the top of Africa in the 2011, 2018 and 2019 editions. These achievements have cemented the club as an African powerhouse.

As a four-time continental champion, it played in three editions of the Club World Cup in its old format - which from this point onwards is known as the Intercontinental. In 2011, it fell in the quarter-finals to Al-Saad of Qatar.

Seven years later, they succumbed in the round of 16 against Al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates, who eliminated River Plate in the semi-finals and lost the final 4-1 to Real Madrid. In their last participation, in 2019, they fell again in the quarter-finals, to Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia.

In addition to its titles, Espérance is renowned for its formative role and stable management. Over the years, it has revealed numerous talents for Tunisian and African football, contributing players to the national team.