Sabri Lamouchi has been sacked as Tunisia head coach just hours after his side were demolished 5-1 by Sweden in their World Cup opener – the first managerial casualty of the 2026 tournament.
The Tunisian Football Federation held an emergency meeting after the full-time whistle in Guadalupe, Mexico, according to reports from Tunisia, and decided to axe the former Nottingham Forest player. An official statement is expected imminently, while former Sunderland player Wahbi Khazri will serve as interim coach for the remaining group games against Japan and the Netherlands.
“Tunisia sack Sabri Lamouchi after 5-1 defeat to Sweden in World Cup opener”
The American sports outlet ESPN reported that Lamouchi was expecting to be relieved of his duties and said “we have a problem with the coach” when approached for comment. The 5-1 defeat was not an isolated disaster: Tunisia had also lost 5-0 to Belgium in their final warm-up game before travelling to the United States. Lamouchi had only been in charge for five games after being appointed earlier this year following Sami Trabelsi’s exit in the aftermath of a failed Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
Yasin Ayari scored twice for Sweden, with Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres and Liverpool’s Alexander Isak also on the scoresheet. Omar Rekik scored a consolation for Tunisia, but it was not enough to spare the African side further embarrassment.
Tunisia star Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida apologised to supporters after the defeat. “We suffered a heavy defeat because of small details and mistakes,” he told La Presse. “At this level, against a team like Sweden, when you make such serious mistakes, you pay a heavy price. Sweden were more efficient, they exploited all our mistakes. We apologise to the Tunisian public after this defeat. We will try to make up for it and correct our co…”
Mondher Kebaier has been listed as the early favourite to succeed Lamouchi on a long-term basis. Tunisia’s next fixture is against Japan on 20 June in Guadalupe, with Khazri set to lead preparations.
As Tunisia deal with the fallout, attention turns to England’s World Cup curtain-raiser against Croatia this week. The appointment of the referee for that match has been confirmed amid controversy, though details remain scarce. England will hope to avoid a similar fate to the Eagles of Carthage in their opening game.