Tunisia sack Lamouchi hours after 5-1 thrashing by Sweden at World Cup 2026

Tunisia have sacked head coach Sabri Lamouchi just hours after a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening 2026 World Cup group game, making him the first manager to lose his job at the tournament. Reports indicate an official statement from the Tunisian football federation is imminent.

Lamouchi, who played for Nottingham Forest during his career as a midfielder, paid the price for a disastrous performance that left Tunisia with little margin for error in the group stage. The scale of the defeat — four goals conceded in a single World Cup opener — appears to have prompted an immediate response from the federation.

Former Sunderland forward Wahbi Khazri has been named interim coach and will take charge of Tunisia’s next fixture against Japan on Sunday. According to reports, Khazri is set to remain in the role for the remainder of the tournament rather than a short-term caretaker appointment.

Mondher Kebaier has been identified as the early favourite to succeed Lamouchi on a permanent basis once the World Cup concludes. Kebaier previously managed Tunisia and led them to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, giving him a familiarity with the squad and federation that could make him an attractive option.

Tunisia are one of 48 nations competing at the expanded 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With only half the teams having played their opening fixtures at the time of Lamouchi’s dismissal, his exit stands as a stark early marker of the pressure facing nations who entered the tournament with genuine expectations.