Tunisia dismiss Lamouchi after one World Cup 2026 match

Tunisia removed head coach Sabri Lamouchi from his position following a heavy World Cup 2026 loss.

Swedish side stuns Tunisia heavily Tunisia suffered a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening World Cup 2026 match on Sunday, played in Group F at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico. This loss marked the first game of the competition for Tunisia under Sabri Lamouchi. Reports emerged shortly after the match that Lamouchi had been dismissed, though the coach reportedly attended training on the following day. The Tunisian Football Association later confirmed his contract had been ended through a mutual agreement. ## New coach appointment confirmed The Tunisian Football Association announced plans to name Mondher Kebaier as the new national team coach. This decision followed the mutual termination of Sabri Lamouchi's contract. Lamouchi, aged 54, had been in charge of Tunisia since January, succeeding Sami Trabelsi who left after a last-16 Africa Cup of Nations exit to Mali. His dismissal makes him the first World Cup coach in history to be let go after a single match. ## Lamouchi reflects on painful defeat Speaking after the heavy loss to Sweden, Lamouchi described the result as painful. He stated that beginning the tournament with such a severe defeat was extremely challenging. He admitted that Tunisia made numerous errors, emphasizing that these mistakes were self-inflicted. Lamouchi added that the team was harming itself through careless play. ## Coach's record under scrutiny Over five matches as Tunisia's head coach, Lamouchi secured just one victory, a 1-0 win over Haiti in his first game. Before the World Cup, Tunisia lost two warm-up matches, including a 1-0 defeat to Austria and a heavy 5-0 loss to Belgium earlier in the month. The team is scheduled to face Japan and the Netherlands in their remaining Group F fixtures at the World Cup 2026.