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.
There is no official confirmation yet about who the Federation is set to appoint in his place, although a statement from an unofficial account was reporting preparations for Mondher Kebaier’s interim appointment as being under way. Both he and coach Wahbi Khazri have been rumoured to be in contention as interim appointments.
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 Wahbi Khazri is one of two names being touted to lead Tunisia. The former forward joined Lamouchi’s backroom staff in January, having retired from playing football at the end of 2025. It was his first coaching role, as the head of the analysis department.
Khazri has a long history with Tunisia, having played 74 times for the national team across his career. He represented the nation at two World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations, before retiring from international football in 2022. Only Issam Jemaa (36) has scored more goals for Tunisia than Khazri’s 25, which included two at the 2018 World Cup. Khazri also scored at the 2022 World Cup, sealing a 1-0 win over France in their final group game — though it could not prevent Tunisia’s elimination.
The other name who could take over on a temporary basis is Mondher Kebaier. Kebaier has history with the Tunisian national team. He managed them between 2019 and 2022, leading them to the quarter-finals of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.
Kebaier also played a role in Tunisia reached the 2022 World Cup, helping them top their qualifying group. But he was sacked before they played their play-off match against Mali, which they won under Jalel Kadri. Kebaier’s sacking came as a result of that quarter-final exit at Afcon in 2022, losing to Burkina Faso in a match they were heavily fancied to win.
What next for Tunisia?
Whoever is appointed, their 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.