&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA World Cup: Sweden’s Yasin Ayari scores but skips celebration against Tunisia, why? Who is he?")
Sweden romped past Tunisia in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener on day four of the showpiece event in North America, beating the African nation 5-1. Of those five goals, two came off the promising youngster Yasin Ayari’s foot, but the attacking midfielder stunned everyone with his muted celebration. Making his World Cup debut and scoring a brace in the first game calls for massive celebrations, but not for him. Here is why he did so, and learn more about him.
Seven minutes into the first half of this Group H fixture in Monterrey, Ayari smashed a full-throttle volley into the top corner before finding the back of the net in the 95th minute to earn a brace and three crucial points for his team. While on the first occasion, he kept his emotions in check and chose to hold his hands up before falling onto the pitch to perform a Muslim act of prostration, he celebrated the next goal.
WATCH -
Why did he do so?
It’s because of the deep Tunisian connection that runs in his blood, which could also have seen him play for the opposition just four years ago.
Ayari was born in Sweden to a Tunisian father and a Moroccan mother. After turning 18, he decided to represent the country of his birth, not his parents', with his father backing his decision.
“I wanted him to play for Sweden,” Azzouz Ayari, his father, said in a chat with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. His father added, “He should feel like he is giving back to the country that took care of him.”
Having migrated to the Scandinavian country, Azzouz revealed that his son was also offered a place on the Tunisian side, but neither he nor his son even considered it as an option.
Ayari began playing football at the tender age of seven, representing the youth side of his hometown club Rasunda before moving to AIK, where he made his senior team debut six years ago. In 2023, Ayari landed a Premier League club (Brighton and Hove), later making his international debut the same year.
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However, upon learning about the draws for the FIFA World Cup 2026, facing Tunisia in the opener was ironic.
“It was crazy that we ended up with them in our group,” he said.
