▲ Sabri Lamouchi, who has been dismissed as head coach of the Tunisian national football team
The Tunisian national football team (ranked 45th), which suffered a crushing defeat against Sweden (38th) in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, has dismissed head coach Sabri Lamouchi and appointed Herve Renard as his successor.
Reuters reported today (June 16) that the Tunisian Football Federation has reached an agreement to sack Lamouchi and appoint Renard, also a French national, to take his place.
Tunisia lost 5–1 to Sweden in their Group F opening match held yesterday at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.
Lamouchi, who took the helm of the Tunisian team in January, had a contract running until 2028 but was forced to step down following the disastrous result in the first World Cup match.
This marks the first coaching dismissal of the tournament.
Tunisia is set to play its remaining group stage matches against Japan (18th) on June 21 and the Netherlands (8th) on June 25.
Group F, which includes Tunisia, is considered the "Group of Death" in this tournament.
Renard previously led Saudi Arabia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he orchestrated an upset victory against Argentina in the group stage.
He later managed the French women's national football team before returning as head coach of the Saudi Arabian national team in October 2024, but he stepped down from that position this past April, two months before the World Cup, citing poor performance.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.