The Blues’ tournament begins with a game against Los Angeles on Monday 16 June. After playing Flamengo of Brazil, our group stage concludes when we take on ES Tunis in the early hours of Wednesday 25 June in the UK (kick-off 2am).

Kick-off in Philadelphia is at 9pm local time on Tuesday 24 June, and you can still buy tickets for the game, or watch it for free around the world on DAZN.

Here is everything you need to know about one of the most successful clubs in Africa…

Factfile

Full name: Esperance Sportive de Tunis (EST)
Country: Tunisia
City: Tunis
Formation: 1919
Major honours: Four CAF Champions League titles, 34 Tunisian league titles, 16 Tunisian Cups

Head coach: Maher Kanzari
2024/25 league finish: 1st
Stadium: Hammadi Agrebi Stadium
Colours: Red and yellow
Nickname: Mkachkha (The Smiling One), Red and Yellows
Rivals: Club Africain (Tunis derby), Etoile du Sahel (Tunisian classico)

CAF Champions League record

ES Tunis have won Africa’s premier continental competition on four separate occasions: 1994, 2011, 2018, and 2019. This makes them the fourth most successful club in the tournament’s history, behind Egyptian sides Al Ahly (12 titles) and Zamalek (five titles), and Congolese outfit TP Mazembe (five titles).

They have also been runners-up on five occasions, including last year when they lost to Al Ahly 1-0 on aggregate.

2024/25 season

ES Tunis won a league and cup double in 2024/25. They retained the title with a game to spare, eventually finishing four points clear of US Monastir in the 16-team league.

In the Tunisian Cup final, played on Sunday 1 June, they defeated Stade Tunisien 1-0 courtesy of a second-half goal from Nigerian midfielder Onuche Ogbelu.

ES Tunis topped their CAF Champions League group, which included a 2-0 victory against eventual winners Pyramids, before losing 1-0 on aggregate to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the Round of 16.

Club World Cup qualification

Their excellent performance in African competition over the past four years enabled them to qualify for the Club World Cup. They are one of four African sides at the tournament, along with Al Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Wydad AC.

Current squad

Club captain Yassine Meriah is a key figure in the heart of the Tunis defence, although he missed much of the last campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. He has 87 international caps and started each of Tunisia’s games at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Youcef Belaili is the Mkachkha’s key attacker; he scored 18 goals in 34 appearances this season. Brazilian Yan Sasse was their top goalscorer in the league.

Notable former players

Probably the most familiar face to an English audience is Radhi Jaidi. After 11 successful years at ES Tunis, in which he won every possible trophy, Jaidi moved to Bolton in the summer of 2004.

The defender was one of the very few players to find the net against Chelsea in our first Premier League-winning season, and he would later play for Birmingham and Southampton.

He also racked up over 100 international appearances during a stellar career.