The Tunisian Football Federation made a drastic decision after its debut in the World Cup. The 5-1 defeat that Sweden gave him in Monterrey left a deep wound and precipitated the end of Sabri Lamouchi’s cycle.
The coach, who took over in January replacing Sami Trabelsi, coached just five games, with a negative balance: one victory (1-0 against Haiti), one draw and three losses.
Lamouchi himself acknowledged his team’s poor performance in the press conference after the match. “It has been a difficult and painful defeat. Starting the competition with such a tough result is really complicated. We made too many mistakes; “We are shooting ourselves in the foot,” he declared.
According to local media, the leaders met urgently at the concentration hotel and unanimously decided to terminate the contract of the coach, who also lacked the support of the locker room.
The main candidate to take over on an interim basis is Mondher Kebaier, current technical director of lto the federation, who is already in Monterrey.
For his part, assistant Wahib Khazri—historic captain in the World Cup Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022—cannot be considered for the position because he does not have the required certifications.
The Tunisian team was vastly outplayed on the field of play and left a poor image in its World Cup debut, a determining factor for the dismissal of the coach.
🇹🇳❌ THEY DID NOT HAVE PATIENCE
Sabri Lamouchi was fired as Tunisia’s technical director after the 5-1 defeat to Sweden.😬
The last two days will be against Japan and the Netherlands.😳 pic.twitter.com/ANBM5T1Sv5
— ESPN Central America (@ESPN_CENAM) June 15, 2026
The Selection of Tunisia faces two decisive matches on its way to qualifying for the next round of the 2026 World Cup. The first will be on June 21 in Monterrey, where it will face Japan in a highly demanding duel.
Subsequently, the Tunisian team will travel to Kansas City to face the Netherlands on June 25or, in a match that could define their aspirations to advance in the tournament.