Tunisia have reportedly dismissed Sabri Lamouchi as head coach following the team's poor start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Carthage Eagles suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their Group F opener, played in the Mexican city of Guadalupe.
Sweden thrashed Tunisia
Sweden thrashed the Carthage Eagles 5-1 to move to the top of Group F. Yasin Ayari opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a thunderous strike from outside the box after a defensive mix-up by Tunisia. Alexander Isak doubled Sweden's advantage in the 30th minute following a swift counterattack.
Tunisia pulled a goal back two minutes before half-time when Omar Rekik headed home a teasing cross from Hannibal Mejbri. However, the Scandinavian side restored their two-goal cushion in the 59th minute after another defensive error from Tunisia. Viktor Gyokeres added Sweden's fourth goal, with Tunisian midfielder Ellyes Skhiri inadvertently contributing to the move.
Substitute Mattias Svanberg then made it 5-1 after a VAR review confirmed he was onside, before Ayari capped off an outstanding performance by netting his second goal of the match with another spectacular effort from outside the penalty area, per Al Jazeera.
Tunisia fires Sabri Lamouchi
Sabri Lamouchi has reportedly been relieved of his duties by the Tunisian Football Federation on Monday, June 15. According to journalist Romain Molina, Lamouchi will no longer oversee Tunisia's remaining group-stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He wrote: "It's the end for Sabri Lamouchi at the helm of the Tunisian national team."
The Tunisian Football Federation appointed the former international following the dismissal of Sami Trabelsi after the Carthage Eagles' Round of 16 exit against Mali at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Lamouchi arrived with considerable international experience, having guided Côte d'Ivoire at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, although the Elephants were eliminated in the group stage. The 54-year-old also previously managed Rennes, Nottingham Forest, Cardiff City and Al-Riyadh.
Lamouchi under fire before sacking
Lamouchi had reportedly been under pressure even before Tunisia's World Cup campaign began. The Carthage Eagles suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Belgium in a pre-tournament friendly, prompting members of the federation's executive committee to call for an emergency meeting to assess the coach's future.
Preparations were further overshadowed by questions surrounding the presence of Lamouchi's son in the team's training camp despite not being an official member of the delegation, forcing the coach to repeatedly address the issue. Lamouchi also made the bold decision to leave experienced duo Ferjani Sassi and Yassine Meriah out of the World Cup squad despite their combined tally of more than 200 international appearances. The move reflected his desire to refresh the squad following Tunisia's disappointing AFCON campaign earlier in the year.
Ironically, Lamouchi missed out on France's squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup as a player before later experiencing the tournament as a coach with Côte d'Ivoire in 2014, per ESPN.
Ghana sack coach
Legit.ng earlier reported that the fierce football rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana has flared up again after the Black Stars parted ways with head coach Otto Addo just 72 days before the FIFA World Cup. Ghana’s decision followed back-to-back heavy defeats in Europe, including a 2-1 loss to Germany in Stuttgart and a crushing 5-1 defeat to Austria in Vienna.
