At Celtic, Sebastian Tounekti has had an incredible start to his career.
He is scheduled to play for his home country of Tunisia in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, so the Hoops will have to make do without him in December. Tounekti has already participated in recent World Cup qualifiers despite only having three senior caps to far, and given his impressive club play in Europe, he is expected to be included in Sami Trabelsi’s final roster.
That makes one wonder how many games Celtic might have to play without him. And how long would his absence last if Tunisia has a strong run in the competition?
The tournament, hosted by Morocco, began on December 21, with defending champions Ivory Coast hoping to maintain their title. Tunisia’s campaign begins on December 23, which means Tounekti will be unavailable before then owing to training camps and travel commitments.
Tunisia’s Group Fixtures:
Tunisia vs. Uganda, December 23, 14:30 (UK time)
Nigeria vs Tunisia – December 27 at 12:00 (UK time).
Tanzania against Tunisia – December 30, 17:00 (UK time)
That second group encounter pits Tounekti against Celtic’s Kelechi Iheanacho, who will also be absent during that time.
Tounekti will miss the following Celtic group stage matches:
Celtic vs Aberdeen: Sunday, December 21 (Premiership)
Livingston against Celtic: Saturday, December 27 (Premiership)
Motherwell against Celtic: Tuesday, December 30 (Premiership)
Celtic against Rangers, Saturday, January 3 (Premiership)
If Tunisia advances to the final rounds, Celtic may face an even more difficult situation, with both Tounekti and Iheanacho absent. The final is planned for January 18, therefore Tounekti may also miss:
Celtic vs Dundee United, Saturday, January 10, 2026 (Premiership).
Scottish Cup Fourth Round – weekend of January 17, 2026
Bologna against Celtic: Thursday, January 22, 2026 (Europa League)
This offers a significant dilemma for Brendan Rodgers, who would not want to witness a Tunisia vs Nigeria final, regardless of the pride it would bring to his team.
In Tounekti’s absence, Celtic fans will be hoping Michel-Ange Balikwisha finds form, as his start has been disappointing. Daizen Maeda may be obliged to lead the line, but with Jota remaining absent for the foreseeable future, Rodgers will need Balikwisha and Yang to step up and fill the gap on the left flank.
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