Tunisia sack Lamouchi after 5-1 thrashing and hand Hervé Renard the reins for Japan clash

Sabri Lamouchi has been dismissed as Tunisia head coach at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first manager to be sacked during the tournament, after his side were routed 5-1 by Sweden in their Group F opener. Hervé Renard has been appointed as his replacement and will take charge for the must-win clash against Japan at Monterrey Stadium on Sunday, June 21.

The Tunisian Football Federation announced the split as a mutual agreement, thanking Lamouchi for his service, but the scale of the defeat left little room for ambiguity. The 5-1 loss was widely described as one of the worst results in the nation’s international history and reportedly triggered serious tensions within the dressing room.

Lamouchi’s position had already been fragile before the tournament began. Tunisia conceded five goals without reply against Belgium in a pre-tournament warm-up, and across his brief tenure since January, the side won just one of five matches. The federation concluded that acting immediately was preferable to allowing the campaign to unravel further.

Renard, a coach with extensive experience across African football, arrived at Tunisia’s training base in Monterrey and took his first session with the squad without delay. He wasted no time in addressing the psychological damage inflicted by the Sweden defeat.

“I’ve told the players that they have to keep their heads up — you are here to represent your country,” Renard said. “At the moment, we need to be strictly focused on ourselves. We still have a few days to be ready.”

The appointment extends through to the end of the 2026 World Cup, giving Renard a clear mandate to stabilise the squad and salvage something from the group stage. Tunisia’s situation is precarious: they sit bottom of Group F with no points and a goal difference of minus four.

Japan, their next opponents, arrive in contrasting spirits after drawing 2-2 with the Netherlands in their opener — a result that demonstrated both their attacking threat and their ability to compete with established European sides. For Tunisia, anything less than a victory on Sunday would effectively end their World Cup.