FIFA World Cup 2026: Tunisia appoint Herve Renard as new boss after disappointing loss against Sweden

Tunisia have moved on from their undesired start to the FIFA World Cup 2026, sacking coach Sabri Lamouchi of his duties. As per Tunis Afrique Presse, the Tunisian Football Federation have reached an agreement with French Manager Herve Renard, who is set to manage the national team ahead of their upcoming group-stage fixtures.

Managerial change in Tunisia

The Tunisian team endured a heavy 5-1 loss against Sweden in Monterrey in their Group F opener, a result which immediately intensified scrutiny on the coaching staff.

Lamouchi took over the charge of the Tunisia national team in January 2026 with a deal which was supposed to run until 2028. However, the 5-1 loss turned out to be costly, as the Tunisian Football Federation removed him from the manager's role. Now, the 54-year-old has become the first manager to lose his job at the FIFA World CUp 2026.

The newly appointed manager, Renard is set to take over Tunisia  in the coming days, as he will oversee the side's rest of the campaign in the World Cup. According to ESPN, the 57-year-old coach will reach the team's base in Mexico on Tuesday before taking charge of his first training session in Monterrey later in the day.

Before Tunisia, Renard had managed Morocco and Saudi Arabia in his earlier assignments, which shows his experience with the national teams. Renard managed Morocco in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia before guiding Saudi Arabia in the 2022 edition in Qatar, where his side claimed a surprising 2-1 win over Argentina in the group stage game.

The report further adds that Renard chose to accept the Tunisia job because of the ongoing unrest inside the dressing room and tensions between Lamouchi and some players and officials within the federation.

Next challenge for Tunisia in FIFA World Cup 2026

Despite the managerial change, there will be a form of continuity within the group, with ex-Tunisia midfielder Wahbi Khazri set to continue on the coaching staff under Renard.

After their hefty loss against Sweden, Tunisia find themselves at the bottom of Group F. They will lock horns against Japan in their upcoming Group F. Their upcoming game against Japan has become a do-or-die clash as they aim to keep their knock-out stage ambitions alive.