Tunisia Turn To Herve Renard After Sabri Lamouchi Sacking At 2026 World Cup

Tunisia have moved swiftly to appoint experienced French coach Herve Renard as head coach for the remainder of their FIFA World Cup campaign following the dismissal of Sabri Lamouchi.

According to ESPN sources, Renard is expected to arrive at the team’s base in Mexico on Tuesday afternoon and will oversee his first training session later that evening in Monterrey.

Tunisia confirmed Lamouchi’s departure late on Monday after growing unrest within the squad and tensions between the coach, the federation and several players.

Naija News reports that Lamouchi’s exit comes less than 24 hours after Tunisia suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening World Cup match.

The 54-year-old, who guided the North Africans into the tournament and took charge of their first game, paid the price for both the result and the strained atmosphere that reportedly surrounded his tenure.

The decision makes Tunisia the first team in World Cup history to sack a head coach after just one match at the tournament.

Renard, 57, arrives with significant World Cup experience. This will be his third appearance at the competition with a third different nation. He led Morocco at the 2018 World Cup, where the Atlas Lions recorded one draw and two defeats before exiting in the group stage.

Four years later, he guided Saudi Arabia to one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, defeating Lionel Messi’s Argentina in their opening match. Despite that famous victory, Saudi Arabia lost their next two games and failed to progress to the knockout rounds.

Former Tunisia international midfielder Wahbi Khazri, who served as Lamouchi’s assistant, will remain part of the coaching staff under Renard as Tunisia attempts to revive their campaign.