Lamouchi sacked, Renard set to take Tunisia at World Cup

Lamouchi sacked after one match

Sabri Lamouchi is out. Tunisia fired their head coach after the 1–5 defeat to Sweden in the World Cup opener, sources across multiple outlets confirm (1) (2) (5) (12) (13). It is the first in-tournament coaching dismissal at a World Cup since 1998 (8).

The federation posted confirmation of the sacking on Monday afternoon, then deleted the message (11). Chaos.

Renard set to take over

Hervé Renard is the name. Multiple sources report the former Saudi Arabia coach will take charge of Tunisia for the remaining two group matches (3) (6) (7) (9). Renard, who famously beat Argentina with Saudi Arabia at Qatar 2022, steps into a group that still includes the Netherlands and Japan. The appointment is not yet officially confirmed, but the reporting is uniform across French, German, Spanish, and Scandinavian outlets.

A 1–5 beating and a group on the edge

Tunisia 1–5 Sweden (5) (6). Your team conceded five in the Group C opener on Saturday, and the scoreline triggered everything that followed. With the Netherlands waiting, Tunisia sit bottom of the group and face two must-win matches to have any chance of reaching the knockout rounds.

The confusion was real

For several hours on Monday, nobody knew who was in charge. Sources described the situation as "chaos" and "uncertainty" (4) (10). The deleted statement from the federation did not help. By late Monday, the picture settled around Renard, though some outlets note confusion remains (7).

Mondher Kbaier in the frame, briefly

One report named Mondher Kbaier, who coached Tunisia at the 2022 World Cup, as taking over (8). But the overwhelming weight of reporting points to Renard. Kbaier's name appears in only one account and has not been echoed elsewhere.