Hervé Renard appointed Tunisia manager after 5-1 hammering by Sweden at World Cup 2026

Tunisia have appointed Hervé Renard as their new head coach after suffering a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their 2026 World Cup Group F opener in the early hours of Monday morning. Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres, Yasin Ayari and Mattias Svanberg all got on the scoresheet as Tunisia managed just 0.28 expected goals across 90 minutes.

Renard, 57, arrives with one of the most decorated international CVs in world football. He is best remembered for orchestrating Saudi Arabia’s 2-1 victory over eventual champions Argentina in the opening round of the 2022 World Cup — widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in the tournament’s history.

Before that, Renard guided Ivory Coast to Africa Cup of Nations glory in 2015, and led Zambia to the same title in 2012 — the landlocked nation’s first-ever AFCON triumph. Zambia claimed that trophy on penalties against the very team Renard would go on to win it with three years later.

The Frenchman has signed a short-term deal with the Tunisian Football Federation, with his contract running until the end of the North American tournament.

Tunisia’s problems, however, predate Monday’s heavy loss. In the lead-up to the World Cup, the side were beaten 5-0 by Belgium and 1-0 by a ten-man Austria. Their pre-tournament results also included a goalless draw against Canada and a narrow 1-0 win over ten-man Haiti, one of the weakest sides in the competition.

The scale of the task facing Renard is considerable. Tunisia next face Japan, who have already announced themselves as potential giant-killers at this tournament, with qualification for the knockout rounds hanging in the balance.