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The 22-year-old scored two goals against Tunisia but spoke out against his father’s country of birth.
Updated on 15 Jun 2026
For a 22-year-old who made his World Cup debut in Sweden, Yasin Ayari could only dream of a better start to his introduction to football’s biggest show.
With a volley into the top of the Tunisian net seven minutes into the first half of their Group H match in Monterrey, Ayari opened the scoring. for the Scandinavian side against their North African enemies.
The fresh-faced player, however, was not happy during his World Cup debut and chose to raise both his hands in the air before falling down in sujoud (the Muslim act of kneeling).
The reason? A deep Tunisian connection that runs in his blood, and who could have seen him playing for the opposition at the end of four years ago.
Ayari is of North African heritage, with a Tunisian father and a Moroccan mother, but was born in Sweden. At the age of 18, the promising footballer decided to represent the country of his birth, not his parents, and his father supported the decision.
“I wanted him to play in Sweden,” Azzouz Ayari told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, adding: “He should feel like he is giving back to the country that took care of him.”
Azzouz, who moved to the Scandinavian country, revealed that his son was offered a place on the Tunisian side, but neither the father nor the son thought about it.
Ayari started playing football at the age of seven in the youth side of his hometown club Rasunda, Solna, before moving to Scandinavian football giants AIK, where he made his senior team in 2020.
The attacking midfielder was signed by English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023, making his Swedish team debut the same year.
Explaining his decision to wear Sweden’s yellow and blue instead of Tunisia’s red and white, Ayari said it was “natural” to continue representing the country he played for as a child.
When the draw for the 2026 World Cup was announced in December, the irony of playing against the country of his father’s heritage was not lost on Ayari.
He said: “It was crazy to have them in our group.
The young talent was the standout player in Sweden’s impressive win over Tunisia, and he kept their lead with another fiery goal in the 95th minute.
Ayari found the ball on the edge of the Tunisian goal and sent it into the far corner to score his second World Cup goal on his debut.
However, this time, he was very happy and very happy in the arms of happy Swedes.
