Introduction <p>Tumour antigen-specific CD8⁺CD39⁺ T cells (TSTs) are crucial components of anti-tumour adaptive immunity, which in tumour microenvironment (TME) may be found at various differentiation stages, from early stem-like states to terminal stages of exhaustion. Our aim was the evaluation of TSTs quantitative and qualitative characteristics in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) TME, depending on whether they exhibit stem-like or exhaustion features.</p> Methods <p>We analyzed 100 HCC patients undergoing curative hepatectomy. Multiplex immunohistochemistry (CD8/CD39/TCF1, CD8/CD39/TOX) was applied on tissue microarray sections with digital imaging used to evaluate T cell infiltration in tumour center, periphery and adjacent non-neoplastic liver. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) were assessed on H&amp;E-stained slides.</p> Results <p>In HCC TME, 72% of CD8⁺ T cells co-express CD39, while 44% of CD8⁺CD39⁺ TSTs co-express TCF1 (stem-like) and over 50% co-express TOX (exhausted). High CD8⁺CD39⁺ T cell density in tumour periphery was linked to longer overall survival (<i>p</i> = 0.016). Increased CD8⁺CD39^-TCF1⁺ T cell infiltration in tumour center and periphery correlated with worse prognosis (<i>p</i> = 0.009). TLS presence was associated with high TST density (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001).</p> Conclusions <p>Patients with HCC and high CD8⁺CD39⁺ TSTs density exhibiting a tumour-reactive phenotype have improved survival, suggesting the potential role of CD8/CD39 immunohistochemistry as a prognostic tool for personalised therapeutic strategies.</p>