Tunisia have sacked manager Sabri Lamouchi just one game into the 2026 World Cup.
Lamouchi only took charge of Tunisia in January 2026, after they were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations. He replaced Sami Trabelsi, who himself had been in charge less than a year.
The 54-year-old was in charge for just five games, winning only one. The last straw proved to be Tunisia’s 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening game of the World Cup.
It saw Tunisia make a bit of unwanted history. They are one of four teams at a World Cup to change managers mid-tournament, but the first nation to do so twice. In 1998, Henryk Kasperczak was sacked after Tunisia lost their first two World Cup games, knocking them out of the tournament.
There were a few rumours floating around about potential replacements for Lamouchi, including Wahbi Khazri and Mondher Kebaier. But former Saudi Arabia manager Herve Renard has been appointed on a short-term deal.
Tunisia sack Sabri Lamouchi
Why have Tunisia sacked Sabri Lamouchi?
While the 5-1 defeat to Sweden was the tipping point, Lamouchi’s departure will have come as a result of a generally underwhelming time in charge. Tunisia were outgunned by Sweden despite having slightly more possession than their European opponents. They had just six shots, two of which hit the target, with only 0.37 Expected Goals. Sweden, meanwhile, had 13 shots and seven on target, with 1.14 xG.
Tunisia were behind within seven minutes and trailed 2-1 at half-time, before Sweden ran away with things. The defeat leaves Tunisia’s World Cup hopes in the balance. They were in a tough enough group as it was, against Sweden, the Netherlands and Japan. But Tunisia must now get a result against Japan in Monterrey, or face the reality of being all-but eliminated after two games.
As mentioned, though, it wasn’t just about the Sweden defeat. Tunisia had won just one of their five games under Saibari across all competitions. That came in his first game in charge, a 1-0 win over Haiti. A victory against a World Cup team will have brought confidence, and the same can be said for the goalless draw with Canada.
But Tunisia failed to even score in their two pre-tournament matches, against World Cup teams in Austria and Belgium. The latter saw them lose 5-0 at the hands of the Red Devils, less-than-ideal preparation for the World Cup.
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Who will replace Sabri Lamouchi as Tunisia manager?
A permanent replacement for Sabri Lamouchi will be named after the tournament, but for the time being Renard will take charge of Tunisia’s next two World Cup games. There is a chance for Renard to stay on long-term, based on “specific sporting goals”.
Renard has World Cup experience and has been involved in the past two tournaments, with two different teams. He led Morocco in 2018 and Saudi Arabia in 2022, albeit without much success. Morocco only took one point from their three group games, while Saudi Arabia won one and lost two. Of course, that victory was a historic one against eventual champions Argentina in Qatar.
The Frenchman left Saudi Arabia shortly after the 2022 World Cup and took charge of France’s women’s national team. He was involved in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, but France were knocked out in the quarter-finals. Renard left in 2024 to return to Saudi Arabia, but was sacked just a few months ago.
What next for Tunisia?
Renard’s attention must quickly turn to Tunisia’s next game, the all-important clash against Japan on Sunday. Tunisia don’t have a good record against Japan, losing five of the six games they have played across all competitions. That includes a 1-0 defeat to Japan in the 2002 World Cup. Tunisia’s sole win came in a friendly in 2022.
Hopes won’t be high for Tunisia, with the nation having only won three of their 19 World Cup games to date. They have also lost five and drawn one of their second group stage matches at World Cups. That point came against Belgium in 2002, a 1-1 draw sandwiched in between 2-0 defeats to Russia and Japan.