Tunisia’s World Cup campaign is already in crisis mode. The Tunisian Football Federation fired head coach Sabri Lamouchi and immediately turned to Hervé Renard, the French manager who has won the Africa Cup of Nations with two different countries, as his replacement.
The trigger was as brutal as it was public: a 5-1 demolition by Sweden on June 14 in Tunisia’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
From appointment to dismissal in five months
Lamouchi was appointed Tunisia’s head coach on January 5, 2026, signing a deal that was supposed to cover a 2.5-year period. He managed just one win in five matches before the federation decided they’d seen enough.
The FTF didn’t waste time mourning the decision. Reports emerged on June 15 and 16 that the federation had already reached out to Renard, exploring both an immediate short-term arrangement and a potential longer-term contract. The urgency makes sense when you consider the calendar: Tunisia’s next group stage match is against Japan on June 21.
