Tunisian Agriculture & Olive Oil
In the final days of Ramadan 2025, as I sat on the terrace overlooking a panoramic view of the family farm, richly emerald green in springtime surrounded by organic produce of a true sense, 25 km south from the capital of Tunis, the insights came to tell you all what makes a country the size of the state of Wisconsin in the USA, a jewel not in the Nile, but rather a hidden gem immersed in football. It is said that the beautiful game was introduced to Tunisia by Italian migrants and there is a deep rooted love of football which sits within the hearts of nearly every Tunisian household.
Tunisia may not be the largest nation in North Africa but they are always a constant source of high-quality football players. Thanks to a mix of French and Arab influences, football has always been a popular sport in the nation seeing many quality players emerge from the country. Many of their top stars have then ventured across the Mediterranean to find success in Europe with some eventually reaching the Premier League. 7 Tunisian players have featured in the English top flight during the Premier league.
Tunisia is on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Nile Delta. It is bordered by Algeria on the west and Libya on the south east and has rich cultural history dating back to when the Romans ruled. Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in Tunisia Lake and was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classical world. Tunisia is also famous for Star Wars, with 6 cities being the location for scenes in several Star Wars films.
What is more, Tunisia is globally renowned for its high-quality agricultural products, and is perhaps less known for being home to the world’s finest olive oil (with trees several hundreds of years old).
The country recently saw one of its olive oil brands, Terra d’Elyssa (which is available in the UK), featured on the table of one of the world’s most famous couples: Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodríguez. While vacationing over the holidays in Lapland, Finland, the couple gave their millions of followers a glimpse of their festive dinner, with this Tunisian olive oil taking centre stage.
Just this week, Olive oil producers and exporters from Tunisia are participating in the APAS Show retail fair in São Paulo. The companies are featured in two stands organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce at the event. You can read more about the show here.
Tunisian Football
The Tunisian National Football team has qualified six times for the FIFA World Cup and twenty-one times for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). It has competed in four editions of Summer Olympics and participated once in the FIFA Confederation Cup. Since 2001, Tunisia’s home stadium is the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Radès, Tunis.
The national team controlled by the Tunisian Football Federation (TFF), represents Tunisia in men’s international football competitions. On a continental level, the team competes under the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and is also affiliated with FIFA for global competitions. The team is also member of the Union of North African Football (UNAF) and the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA).
Their home kit is primarily white and their away kit is red, which is a reference to the national flag of the country. Tunisia have reached 6 FIFA World Cup Competitions (in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018) and more recently the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Tunisian Club Leagues
The main football leagues in Tunisia are called the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 (Rabita al Mohtarifa aloola) and Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 2 (Rabita al Mohtarifa althanee), which are managed by the Ligue Nationale de Football Professionnel (LNFP). The LNFP also oversees the semi-professional Ligue Professionnelle 3 (Rabita al Mohtarifa athalita) and amateur leagues (Alhuwait).
Espérance Sportive de Tunis (EST) Basic Facts:
- Founded: January 15, 1919
- Location: Tunis, Tunisia
- Stadium: Stade Olympique de Radès (capacity: ~60,000)
- Team Colours: Red and yellow
- Nicknames: “Taraji” or “Blood and Gold”
- Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1: 33+ titles (record-holder)
- Tunisian Cup: 15+ wins
- Tunisian Super Cup: Multiple wins
- Continental Titles:
- CAF Champions League: 4 titles (1994, 2011, 2018, 2019)
- CAF Super Cup: 1 title (1995)
- Afro-Asian Cup: 1 title (1995)
- Youth Academy: Known for producing talented players, and attracting the best African and Tunisian talent who go on to play internationally.
- Fan Base: One of the largest and most passionate in Tunisia and North Africa.
- Multi-Sport Club: In addition to football, the club has teams in handball, volleyball, and other sports.
Espérance Sportive de Tunis (EST) also known as Attaraji Attunisie is the top team in the first division. EST is ranked third in the list of the best African clubs of the twenty-first century compiled by FIFA behind Al Ahly SC and TP Mazembe. The 2010–2011 season marked a pinnacle in the history of EST, as they achieved a remarkable treble. The club clinched the 2010/11 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1, the 2010–2011 Tunisian Cup and most notably, the prestigious 2011 CAF Champions League, a triumph that cemented their dominance in African football.
In a major milestone, Espérance Sportive de Tunis became the first Tunisian sports club to be listed on the Tunis Stock Exchange through its parent company, Taraji Holding, on 31 December 2024. This strategic move is expected to diversify revenue sources, promote financial transparency, and support sustainable growth.
Top 3 EST Club Legends
Tarak Dhiab
A central figure in Tunisian football, Dhiab as a midfielder was named African Footballer of the Year in 1977. He played a pivotal role in Tunisia’s first World Cup victory in 1978 and is considered one of the greatest Tunisian players of all time and an icon of Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
Khaled Badra
As a Centre back and star defender, Badra represented Tunisia in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and was instrumental in the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, where Tunisia emerged as champions. He was a key player for his club and country, he won the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations with Tunisia and had a strong and consistent presence in Espérance’s defence during its golden era.
Radhi Jaidi (Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City)
Radhi Jaidi was a player who broke new grounds for many Tunisian footballers during his career and his venture into English football was just one of them. He became the first ever Tunisian player to play in the Premier League in 2004 when he joined Bolton from Espérance Sportive de Tunis. From there, he would become a solid defender for several English club over the next decade. Jaidi’s powerful stature and excellent aerial skills made him a nightmare for strikers to deal with anywhere in the box. He proved this by being a regular for both Bolton and Birmingham for much of the 2000s. His best form came with Birmingham notching up 86 appearances in three seasons and scoring 6 goals.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup
32 Clubs are part of the 8 Groups within the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in USA starting 14. June 2025. Espérance Sportive de Tunis are one of four CAF teams competing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and qualify as the best-ranked eligible team in the four-year ranking. They are in Group D alongside UK’s Chelsea Fc, Mexico’s Club Léon and Brazil’s CR Flamengo. The Tunisians have won a record 33 league titles in their home country but the club have yet to taste success outside of their domestic dominance and will to take advantage of an unpredictable group.
On EST’s qualification for FIFA World Club Cup we say in Tunisian Arabic: “Nchallah mabrouk! Amalt haja behia.” Congratulations! You did excellent.
Here are some useful Tunisian Phrases to try.