Tunisia has swiftly dismissed national team coach Sabri Lamouchi following the squad’s resounding 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening World Cup fixture. The decision came early Monday morning Danish time, just hours after the heavy loss, though several media outlets had reported on Monday that Lamouchi’s departure was imminent.
The Tunisian Football Federation has already moved to appoint Mondher Kebaier as Lamouchi’s replacement for the remainder of the tournament, reported by ESPN. Kebaier is a familiar face within the national setup, having served as part of the technical staff since February 2025 and previously holding the head coach position for Tunisia from 2019 to 2022.
Lamouchi’s short and troubled tenure
Lamouchi, 54, endured a remarkably brief stint at the helm, having only been appointed national coach in January. His tenure saw the team play just five matches, securing a single victory in his debut against Haiti in March. The pressure on the French coach was already significant even before the World Cup began, exacerbated by a comprehensive 0-5 defeat to Belgium in a pre-tournament test match, as reported by Reuters.
The crushing loss to Sweden proved to be the final straw. “We have a problem with the coach,” a representative from the Tunisian Football Federation stated to ESPN, underscoring the deep dissatisfaction within the organisation.
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This isn’t Lamouchi’s first experience on football’s biggest stage; he previously led Ivory Coast at the 2014 World Cup, where his team also failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Kebaier steps in for World Cup challenge
With Kebaier now at the helm, Tunisia faces an uphill battle to salvage their World Cup campaign. The team’s next challenge is against Japan, scheduled for early Sunday morning Danish time. Their final group stage match will be against the Netherlands on the night of June 26.
The decision to change coaches so abruptly highlights the federation’s urgency to address the team’s performance. A source close to the situation had indicated to AFP, cited by the danish outlet seoghoer, that a decision was expected “in one direction or another” on Monday, hinting at the discussions taking place behind the scenes.
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