Tunisia Sack Lamouchi After Heavy Defeat, Hire Hervé Renard for World Cup Campaign

Tunisia have sacked coach Sabri Lamouchi after a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their World Cup opener and appointed Hervé Renard as his replacement for the rest of the tournament. Lamouchi leaves after a poor run of results, while Renard, an experienced international coach and former Africa Cup of Nations winner, will take charge ahead of Tunisia’s remaining group matches.

Tunisia have sacked head coach Sabri Lamouchi following a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening World Cup match in Monterrey on Sunday, and have appointed Frenchman Hervé Renard as his replacement for the remainder of the tournament.

The decision was confirmed by the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF), which stated that Lamouchi’s dismissal came in the immediate aftermath of the team’s poor start to the competition. The result marked a disappointing opening for Tunisia, who still have group-stage matches remaining against Japan on Saturday and the Netherlands on June 25.

Lamouchi, who was appointed in January on a contract running until 2028, leaves the role after a short and difficult spell in charge. During his tenure, Tunisia managed just one win in five matches, a narrow 1-0 victory over Haiti in March. The team also suffered consecutive defeats in friendly preparations, including a 1-0 loss to Austria and a 5-0 defeat to Belgium, raising concerns about form heading into the tournament.

In a statement shared on social media, the Tunisian Football Federation confirmed Renard’s appointment and said he would lead the national team for the remainder of their World Cup campaign. The statement added that discussions would be held after the tournament regarding a possible long-term agreement based on sporting objectives.

“The agreement also stipulates that negotiations will be opened after the World Cup campaign to consider a long-term partnership based on specific sporting objectives,” the federation said.

State broadcaster Television Tunisienne reported that Renard is expected to arrive in Monterrey to join the squad and immediately begin preparations for Tunisia’s remaining group matches.

Renard is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most successful modern coaches. He has twice won the Africa Cup of Nations, achieving success with Zambia in 2012 and Côte d’Ivoire in 2015, earning a reputation for strong tournament management and defensive organisation.

At the international level, Renard previously coached Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he led the team to a surprise victory over eventual champions Argentina in the group stage—one of the tournament’s most memorable upsets. He later took charge of the French women’s national team, leading them at the 2023 World Cup and the Olympic Games in Paris.

Renard returned to Saudi Arabia afterward and guided the men’s national team through qualification for a third consecutive World Cup before leaving the post shortly before the tournament, with Georgios Donis eventually stepping in as his replacement.

Tunisia now turn to Renard in hopes of salvaging their World Cup campaign, with the experienced coach tasked with stabilising the squad quickly and restoring confidence ahead of their remaining group-stage fixtures.