Tunisia has parted ways with head coach Sabri Lamouchi after their loss in the first match of the 2026 World Cup.
The team suffered a heavy defeat against Sweden, who inflicted a 5-1 defeat during their Group F encounter in Guadalupe, Mexico.
Initial reports suggested that Lamouchi had been dismissed right after the match, but it was later confirmed by sources to BBC Sport that he conducted training on Monday. However, the Tunisian Football Association has now officially announced that his contract was terminated by “mutual agreement.”
Herve Renard, who previously managed Morocco and Saudi Arabia, has been appointed as the new head coach through the end of the tournament.
Lamouchi’s departure marks a historic moment, making him the first manager to be dismissed after just one match in World Cup history.
Tunisia previously sacked Henryk Kasperczak during the 1998 World Cup after a poor start, while other managers, like South Korea‘s Cha Bum-kun and Spain‘s Julen Lopetegui faced similar fates in their respective tournaments after poor performances.
This is the first instance where a coach has lost their position following just one World Cup match, concluding Lamouchi’s five-month tenure with the national team.
The former Nottingham Forest manager was appointed in January after replacing Sami Trabelsi due to a last-16 defeat against Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations.
In light of their loss to Sweden, Lamouchi described the situation as “painful,” emphasizing the challenges of starting the tournament with such a defeat. “We made too many mistakes, and this is not something that we can do. We are shooting ourselves in the foot, we are hurting ourselves,” he stated.
During his tenure, Lamouchi’s record includes only one win out of five matches, a narrow victory over Haiti in his debut game.
Prior to the World Cup, Tunisia faced difficulties in their friendly matches, losing 1-0 to Austria and suffering a heavy 5-0 loss to Belgium.
Looking ahead, Tunisia is set to face both Japan and Netherlands in their upcoming Group F matches.