Tunisia sack Lamouchi after one game as Sweden's 5-1 rout ends his World Cup tenure

Tunisia have sacked manager Sabri Lamouchi after just one World Cup 2026 group game, following a 5-1 thrashing by Sweden that leaves the Eagles of Carthage needing wins against Japan and the Netherlands to have any hope of progressing.

Lamouchi, 54, had only taken charge in January and oversaw five matches in total — winning just once, a 1-0 victory over Haiti — before the Tunisian FA confirmed his dismissal via an Instagram statement on Wednesday. “An agreement has been officially reached to dismiss coach Sabri Lamouchi,” the federation wrote, adding that “plans are under way to appoint Mondher Kebaier as the national team coach on an interim basis.”

Kebaier is no stranger to the role, having previously managed Tunisia between 2019 and 2022. He is expected to take charge for the remainder of the group stage in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Signs of trouble had been building before the tournament even kicked off. A 5-0 warm-up defeat to Belgium in Tunisia’s final pre-tournament friendly raised serious questions about Lamouchi’s position, though the federation chose to keep faith with him heading into the group stage. Sweden’s clinical display — goals from Yasin Ayari (two), Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres and Mattias Svanberg — made that decision look costly.

Managerial departures mid-tournament are rare but not without precedent, and Tunisia themselves have been here before. In 1998, they dismissed Henryk Kasperczak after two group games, while South Korea parted ways with Cha Bum-kun during the same tournament. More recently, Spain sacked Julen Lopetegui two days before their opening game at the 2018 World Cup.

Tunisia have never advanced beyond the group stage in any of their World Cup appearances, and their path out of the current group has narrowed sharply. They face Japan on Saturday before a final group match against the Netherlands — two opponents that will demand a significant improvement on what Kebaier’s side produced against Sweden.