Tunisia have parted ways with head coach Sabri Lamouchi after their crushing 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening Group F match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico.
Initial reports suggested Lamouchi had been dismissed immediately after the heavy loss. However, sources indicated that the 54-year-old still led the team’s training session on Monday. The Tunisian Football Association later confirmed that his contract had been terminated by mutual agreement.
Former Morocco and Saudi Arabia coach HervΓ© Renard has been appointed as Tunisia’s new manager until the end of the tournament.
Lamouchi’s departure marks an unprecedented moment in World Cup history, as he becomes the first coach ever to lose his job after just one match at the tournament.
While managerial changes during World Cups are rare, there have been previous examples. Tunisia dismissed Henryk Kasperczak during the 1998 tournament after the team failed to win either of its opening two matches. In the same competition, South Korea parted company with Cha Bum-kun following consecutive defeats. More recently, Spain sensationally sacked Julen Lopetegui just two days before the start of the 2018 World Cup after he agreed to take charge of Real Madrid.
However, no manager had previously been dismissed after a single World Cup game.
Lamouchi’s exit brings an abrupt end to a tenure that lasted just five months. The former Nottingham Forest manager was appointed in January, succeeding Sami Trabelsi, who stepped down after Tunisia’s round-of-16 elimination by Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Reflecting on the defeat to Sweden, Lamouchi described the result as “painful.”
“Starting the competition with such a heavy defeat is extremely difficult,” he said. “We made too many mistakes, and at this level, that is something we simply cannot afford. We are hurting ourselves.”
Results had already raised concerns ahead of the tournament. Lamouchi managed only one win in five matches as Tunisia coachβa 1-0 victory over Haiti in his first game in charge. Tunisia also lost 1-0 to Austria and suffered a 5-0 defeat to Belgium in their World Cup warm-up fixtures earlier this month.
Tunisia now face a daunting challenge in their remaining Group F matches against Japan and the Netherlands, with Renard tasked with reviving the team’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
