Tunisia have parted ways with head coach Sabri Lamouchi after just one match at the 2026 World Cup, making him the first manager in the tournament’s history to be dismissed after a single game.
The Tunisian Football Association confirmed that the Frenchman’s contract has been terminated by “mutual agreement” following a catastrophic opening group stage defeat.
Sweden handed Tunisia a humiliating 5-1 loss in Sunday’s Group F fixture at the Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico, leaving the African side’s World Cup campaign in tatters from the very start.
Reports had emerged immediately after the defeat suggesting Lamouchi had already been let go, but sources told BBC Sport that the 54-year-old was still taking training on Monday before the official confirmation came through.
The Tunisian FA also confirmed in their statement that “plans are under way to appoint Mondher Kebaier as the national team coach.”
Lamouchi had only been appointed in January, replacing Sami Trabelsi, who departed after Tunisia suffered a last-16 defeat to Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The former Nottingham Forest boss won just one of his five games in charge of Tunisia, a 1-0 victory over Haiti in his very first match.
His record ahead of the World Cup made for grim reading, with Tunisia losing 1-0 to Austria before suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat to Belgium in their warm-up fixtures earlier this month.
Speaking after the thrashing by Sweden, Lamouchi admitted the result was “painful” and was candid about his side’s shortcomings during the match.
“Starting the competition with this bad of a loss is indeed difficult,” Lamouchi said, reflecting on a performance that ultimately cost him his job.
“We made too many mistakes, and this is not something that we can do. We are shooting ourselves in the foot, we are hurting ourselves.”
Tunisia still have two Group F fixtures remaining, facing Japan and the Netherlands, and will be hoping a new manager can spark some kind of recovery in what is already a dire situation.
