Eight Tunisia players test positive for clenbuterol at World Cup

Eight Tunisia players tested positive for clenbuterol at the World Cup

Eight Tunisia players returned positive doping tests for clenbuterol during the 2026 World Cup (1) (2) (3). The banned substance, commonly used as a bodybuilding and fat-burning agent, was found in samples taken during the tournament where Tunisia lost all three group matches against the Netherlands, Sweden, and Japan and exited with zero points.

The positive tests affect players from a campaign already marked as Tunisia's worst World Cup performance ever. The tests were conducted in competition, meaning the results carry immediate disciplinary weight under FIFA's anti-doping regulations (4) (5). FIFA has not yet announced sanctions, but the scale of the findings, eight players in a single squad, is unprecedented in World Cup history (3).

Contaminated meat theory emerges

Some reports point to contaminated meat as a possible explanation. Clenbuterol is known to appear in livestock in certain regions, including Mexico, where teams were based during the tournament (2) (4). The substance can enter an athlete's system through food without intentional doping.

Whether that defense holds with FIFA's disciplinary panel remains to be seen. Eight cases from one team will be hard to dismiss as coincidence (1) (5).

Fan reactions

Tunisia fans are torn between outrage and disbelief. On Reddit, the contaminated meat theory is getting little sympathy, many see eight positives as too many to explain away. The posts also note the grim irony: Tunisia were already out of the tournament with zero points, and now they exit as the only team at this World Cup facing a doping scandal of this scale. See the full discussion on r/soccer