Tunisia have parted ways with manager Sabri Lamouchi following their thumping 5-1 defeat at the hands of Sweden in the 2026 World Cup.
Despite being just seven places behind Sweden in the FIFA World Rankings, Tunisia were left embarrassed as Graham Potter’s side ran out convincing winners through goals from Yasin Ayari (two), Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres, and Mattias Svanberg.
The World Cup is a major competition that does not forgive any team for making serious mistakes, concluded Lamouchi.
Local reports in Tunisia claim that physical altercations broke out in the Tunisian camp following the final whistle, prompting an emergency meeting among team officials.
The decision to sack Lamouchi was taken following that meeting, a move that comes just weeks after he took charge of the team in January but has won just one of five games.
This was a disappointment for Spain, but reaching the knockout stages would be seen as a huge success for Tunisia, who are bottom of Group F behind Sweden, the Netherlands, and Japan after the first round of matches.
Lamouchi is not the first Tunisia coach to be sacked during a World Cup; Hector Vivas/FIFA/Getty Images
Managers are rarely sacked during World Cup tournaments, but it has happened on a few occasions in the past.
This is not the first time Tunisia has taken drastic action midway through a World Cup; in 1998, they were mathematically eliminated before the third game took place and Henryk Kasperczak was fired from his position.
Tunisia’s officials were so furious that Kasperczak was let go with immediate effect, a move that came after 2-0 defeats to England and 1-0 defeats to Colombia.
This wasn’t even the first managerial change of the 1998 World Cup, as Cha Bum-kun lost his job after just one game, a 5-0 defeat to the Netherlands.
Such changes have been rare in recent years; in 2018, Julen Lopetegui was sacked by Spain just two days before the tournament after being unveiled as Real Madrid’s new manager.
Spanish officials claimed they were unaware of Lopetegui’s negotiations with Los Blancos and felt the timing of the move was disrespectful.
With Fernando Hierro in temporary charge, Spain topped their group but won just one of their three matches and fell to Russia on penalties in the round of 16.
Tunisia’s decision to sack Lamouchi is a major blow to the team’s chances of progressing in the tournament.
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