One game in. One coach sacked. One icon brought in. The most dramatic 48 hours in Tunisian football history.
Official — Renard Is In
The Tunisian Football Federation has officially confirmed the appointment of Hervé Renard as coach of the national team until the end of the 2026 World Cup. The federation also confirmed that Renard’s agreement includes the same financial conditions initially proposed and contains a provision to begin negotiations for a longer-term partnership after the tournament — with any future deal based on achieving specific sporting objectives agreed upon by both parties.
The statement noted: “The urgency of the schedule leaves no room for delay, and the new coach has no time to lose.” Renard was formally unveiled at a press conference at the training ground shortly before leading his first training session.
The Chaos That Made It Necessary
It all started with Sunday night’s catastrophe. Tunisia suffered a 5–1 loss to Sweden in Monterrey, Mexico — making Sabri Lamouchi the first manager to lose his job during the 2026 World Cup tournament. Lamouchi had only taken charge of the national team in January, signing a contract due to run until 2028 — and oversaw just five matches, managing only one victory: a 1–0 win over Haiti in March.
Results worsened in the build-up to the World Cup. Tunisia lost 1–0 to Austria before being beaten 5–0 by Belgium in a warm-up fixture — and the disappointing run continued with Sunday’s heavy defeat against Sweden.
Why Renard? Why Now?
In a crisis, you call the most experienced operator available. Renard, 57, has been out of management since being sacked by Saudi Arabia in April, bringing his second stint with the national team to an end.
His CV is almost unmatched in international coaching. Renard is an experienced coach who has won the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia and Ivory Coast. He coached Morocco at the 2018 World Cup and Saudi Arabia in 2022 — earning a notable upset win over eventual champions Argentina — and later managed the French national women’s team.
For Renard, this is already his third World Cup with different national teams. In 2018 he led Morocco, where the team finished the group stage with two losses and a draw. In 2022 he worked with Saudi Arabia, which sensationally defeated Argentina but also did not advance from the group.
The Mission Impossible Schedule
Renard has walked into one of the tightest coaching assignments imaginable. His first assignment will be a crucial Group F encounter against Japan on June 20 in Monterrey. Tunisia then face the Netherlands on June 25 in Kansas City — and must win both to have any realistic chance of progressing.
Tunisia have qualified for the World Cup on six occasions but have never progressed beyond the group stage. Renard’s task is to change that narrative — in under a week of preparation.
A Precedent That Haunts Them
It is not the first time Tunisia has made a mid-tournament coaching change at a World Cup. In 1998, Henryk Kasperczak was fired after group-stage losses to England and Colombia, which ruled the team out of contention for the knockout stage before their closing match against Romania. That gamble didn’t pay off. Tunisia will desperately hope this one does.
Key Facts at a Glance
| New coach | Hervé Renard, 57 (French) |
| Contract | Until end of 2026 World Cup + post-tournament extension negotiations |
| Previous coach | Sabri Lamouchi — sacked June 15, just hours after the Sweden defeat |
| Trigger | 5–1 loss to Sweden, Group F, June 14 |
| Renard’s AFCON titles | Zambia 2012 · Ivory Coast 2015 |
| Previous WCs | Morocco 2018 · Saudi Arabia 2022 |
| First match in charge | Japan — Friday June 20, Monterrey |
| Final group game | Netherlands — June 25, Kansas City |
| Tunisia’s WC record | 7th appearance · Never beyond group stage |
Hervé Renard has saved campaigns before. He masterminded one of the greatest World Cup upsets in history with Saudi Arabia over Argentina. Now the Carthage Eagles are banking on that same magic — with just days to pull off a miracle.