Tunisia have dismissed head coach Sabri Lamouchi following the team’s heavy defeat in its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The North Africans suffered a 5-1 loss to Sweden in their Group F clash at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico, on Sunday.
The Tunisian Football Association confirmed that Lamouchi’s contract had been terminated by mutual agreement.
His departure makes him the first coach in World Cup history to lose his job after just one match at the tournament.
Initial reports suggested he had been sacked immediately after the defeat. However, sources indicated that Lamouchi still took charge of training on Monday before the decision was finalised.
Renard Takes Charge
Tunisia have appointed former Morocco and Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard as head coach until the end of the tournament.
Renard brings extensive international experience and will now attempt to revive Tunisia’s World Cup campaign.
The team still has two group-stage matches remaining against Japan and the Netherlands.
Lamouchi’s time with Tunisia lasted just five months.
The former Nottingham Forest manager took over in January after Sami Trabelsi left the role following Tunisia’s last-16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations.
During his brief tenure, Lamouchi won only one of his five matches in charge. His sole victory came in a 1-0 win over Haiti in his first game as coach.
Tunisia also struggled in their World Cup warm-up matches, losing 1-0 to Austria before suffering a 5-0 defeat to Belgium.
Speaking after the loss to Sweden, Lamouchi admitted the result was difficult to accept.
“Starting the competition with this bad of a loss is indeed difficult,” he said.
“We made too many mistakes, and this is not something that we can do. We are shooting ourselves in the foot, we are hurting ourselves.”
Tunisia now face a difficult task to keep their World Cup hopes alive, with crucial matches against Japan and the Netherlands still to come.
