Tunisia head coach Sabri Lamouchi is expected to be sacked following his side's 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening match on Sunday. According to multiple reports, the Tunisian Football Federation is set to part ways with Lamouchi before the team's second group-stage match against Japan next Sunday, in what would be an unprecedented move during the tournament. Tunisia will face Japan and then Netherlands in the last match of the group stage at the 2026 World Cup.
Their debut game at the 2026 World Cup was a big setback, as it was heavily impacted by individual mistakes, starting from the opening goal scored seven minutes into the game by Yasin Ayari, who is of Tunisian descent by his father. At the 72nd minute, Sheffield Wednesday defender Yan Valery was replaced by Lamouchi and the player showed visible frustration against the head coach, raising questions regarding the dressing room.
C'est la fin pour Sabri Lamouchi à la tête de la sélection tunisienne 🇹🇳
— Romain Molina (@Romain_Molina) June 15, 2026
Lamouchi was appointed in January and his position was already in danger before the start of the tournament after a 5-0 defeat against Belgium in the pre-tournament friendly game. According to reports, the presence of his son at Tunisia's training camp during the team's World Cup preparations raised concerns within the soccer federation, with officials reportedly questioning why he was granted access despite not being an official member of the delegation, asking Lamouchi to explain the circumstances of his decisions.
The former France international also faced criticism for several controversial calls ahead of the tournament, most notably leaving out experienced players such as Ferjani Sassi and Yassine Meriah, who have more than 200 international caps between them. Lamouchi instead chose to change the squad following Tunisia's disappointing AFCON 2025 campaign earlier this year, opting for a new-look team at the World Cup.
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