Tunisia have become the first team to sack their coach at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening Group F match.
The Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) announced the dismissal of head coach Sabri Lamouchi just one game into the tournament, making it one of the quickest managerial changes in World Cup history.
The decision came after Tunisia suffered a humiliating defeat at Monterrey Stadium, leaving the Carthage Eagles bottom of Group F.
Tunisia’s problems started early when Yasin Ayari gave Sweden the lead after just six minutes. Alexander Isak doubled the advantage in the 30th minute.
Omar Rekik pulled a goal back for Tunisia before half-time to give his side some hope. However, Sweden dominated the second half as Viktor Gyokeres, Mattias Svanberg and Ayari, who scored his second goal of the match, completed the rout.
The heavy defeat raised serious concerns within the Tunisian federation, which decided that immediate action was needed to save the team’s World Cup campaign.
Lamouchi leaves his position after overseeing only five international matches.
Reports in Tunisia suggest that former national team coach Mondher Kebaier is the leading candidate to take temporary charge of the team.
Kebaier, who managed Tunisia between 2019 and 2022, is already with the delegation in North America in his current role as the federation’s Technical Director.
Tunisia now face a difficult task to keep their World Cup hopes alive. Following the 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan in the other Group F match, Tunisia sit at the bottom of the table with no points and a goal difference of minus four.
The North Africans must now focus on their next match against Japan on Sunday, knowing that anything less than a win could end their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
