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The Tunisia men’s soccer team lost its first match against Sweden at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday and it seemed to have a reverberating effect on the entire team.
Tunisia fired coach Sabri Lamouchi on Monday following a 5-1 loss. Hervé Renard was named coach for the remainder of the World Cup. The Tunisian football federation said Renard’s deal will only cover the next few matches of the tournament and that a longer-term deal will be discussed later.
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Tunisia’s head coach Sabri Lamouchi watches during the World Cup Group F soccer match between Sweden and Tunisia in Guadeloupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, June 14, 2026. (Moises Castillo/AP Photo)
Tunisia has Japan and Holland still on the calendar. However, the defeat put Tunisia in a rather difficult situation, as a 2-2 draw between Japan and the Netherlands gave each team a point. Japan would qualify for the round of 16 if the World Cup ended today.
Renard has experience as a World Cup coach. He was in charge of Morocco in 2018 and Saudi Arabia in 2022. Saudi Arabia surprised the world in Qatar when the team beat Argentina in a group stage match. He also coached the French women’s team in the 2023 World Cup.
Then-Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard reacts during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia in Lusail, Qatar, on November 22, 2022. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)
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Lamouchi had only been coaching Tunisia since January.
It is not the first time that Tunisia changes coaches during the tournament.
In 1998, Tunisia fired Henryk Kasperczak after losses to England and Colombia in the group stage. The team was out of competition when it played against Romania.
Tunisia’s head coach Sabri Lamouchi ahead of the World Cup Group F soccer match between Sweden and Tunisia in Guadeloupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, on June 14, 2026. (Moises Castillo/AP Photo)
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Spain succeeded in a surprising coaching change midway through the World Cup. In 2018, Spain fired Julen Lopetegui two days before their first match against Portugal. Spain advanced to the knockout phase but lost to Russia on penalties.
