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Tunisia’s football federation pulled the trigger faster than anyone in World Cup history. Head coach Sabri Lamouchi was sacked on June 15, 2026, just 24 hours after his team was dismantled 5-1 by Sweden in Guadalupe, Mexico.
That makes Lamouchi the first coach ever to be fired after a single World Cup match.
What happened on the pitch
The June 14 group stage match against Sweden was not a close call gone wrong. It was a five-goal demolition that left Tunisia’s World Cup campaign in immediate crisis before the second match had even been scheduled.
Lamouchi had been in charge since January 14, 2026, meaning his entire tenure lasted almost exactly five months. He replaced Sami Trabelsi, who departed after Tunisia’s disappointing exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.
A pattern of mid-tournament chaos
Tunisia has done this before. The federation fired a coach mid-tournament during the 1998 World Cup in France, making this latest decision less of a shock and more of an institutional habit.
Wahbi Khazri has been appointed as interim coach for the remaining group stage fixtures. Khazri, a former player with significant international experience, now faces the task of preparing Tunisia for their next match against Japan.
The broader World Cup context
The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the US, Mexico, and Canada, features an expanded 48-team format.
Lamouchi himself is no stranger to high-pressure football. The Franco-Tunisian coach had previous experience managing in European leagues and with the Ivory Coast national team. His appointment in January was seen as a serious choice. Five months later, his World Cup record reads: played one, lost one, goals for one, goals against five.
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