Five months. That’s how long Sabri Lamouchi lasted as Tunisia’s head coach before the Tunisian Football Federation decided they’d seen enough. The Carthage Eagles fired Lamouchi on June 15, 2026, just hours after a brutal 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
His replacement: Mondher Kebaier, a familiar face who previously managed the national team from August 2019 to January 2022. The FTF didn’t exactly take time to deliberate. Kebaier was appointed the same day Lamouchi was shown the door.
From stability hire to five-month footnote
Lamouchi was brought in on January 14, 2026, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract. His predecessor, Sami Trabelsi, had departed following Tunisia’s round-of-16 exit at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The thinking was that Lamouchi, with his experience in European football, could build something sustainable.
The 5-1 scoreline wasn’t just a loss. It was a defensive collapse. Tunisia conceded five goals in a single World Cup match. Reports suggest the internal pressure within the FTF was enormous following the match, apparently leaving federation officials with little appetite for a measured response.
