Tunisia coach becomes first in World Cup history to be sacked after one game

16 Jun 2026, 09:10 by AFP · The42

TUNISIA HAVE RESPONDED to their 5-1 World Cup thrashing by Sweden by sacking coach Sabri Lamouchi and replacing him with Frenchman Herve Renard, the federation announced on national TV on Monday.

Lamouchi is the first coach in World Cup history to be sacked after just one game.

Renard guided Saudi Arabia to a shock win against eventual winners Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has since coached the France women’s team.

“The president of the Tunisian Football Federation, Moez Nassari, announced that an official agreement had been reached with French coach Herve Renard for him to take charge of the national football team until the end of the 2026 World Cup,” the Tunisian public broadcaster announced.

Tough task

Lamouchi, 54, had only been in charge since January.

The former French international player won just one of his five games in charge, a 1-0 victory over Haiti.

The heavy defeat by Sweden on Sunday leaves Tunisia with a tough task to reach the knockout round.

They face Japan in their next Group F match on Saturday before taking on the Netherlands.

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