Tunisia Part Ways with Coach Sabri Lamouchi After 5-1 Defeat by Sweden

In a decision that stunned fans and pundits alike, the Tunisian Football Association has terminated the contract of head coach Sabri Lamouchi following the national team’s 5-1 loss to Sweden in their opening Group F match of the 2026 World Cup.

Lamouchi, who was appointed in January after the dismissal of Sami Trabelsi, oversaw only one match in the tournament – a 1‑0 victory over Haiti – and had recorded five matches in total before the conviction that his tenure was not working on the world stage.

Sources confirm that the decision was announced by the federation on Monday night, with the dismissal carried out by mutual agreement. In the intervening hours, a statement from the federation confirmed that former Morocco and Saudi Arabia manager Hervé Renard had been appointed as Tunisia’s interim coach for the remainder of the competition.

The 5‑1 defeat came after the side lost their opening warm‑up matches, a 1‑0 loss to Austria and a 5‑0 demolition by Belgium. Lamouchi’s own comments following the match were clear: “It’s painful to start the tournament with such a big loss. We made too many mistakes, and it hurts.”

Lamouchi’s sacking marks a historic first: no coach has ever left a World Cup squad after only one game. The decision underscores the pressure and pace of manager appointments when a national team is competing on the biggest stage.

With the Tunisian squad now under Renard from this point forward, Tunisia still faces two group games – against Japan and the Netherlands – in what has become a tough Group F, as the side seeks to recover from early setbacks and propel itself further in the 2026 tournament.