First managerial casualty of the 2026 World Cup revealed just hours after disastrous opening match
Sabri Lamouchi was sacked by Tunisia after losing their first match at the 2026 World Cup (Image: Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Only half of the 48 World Cup teams have played their first game of the tournament, but one country has already sacked its coach after a disastrous start to the tournament. Tunisian manager Sabri Lamouchi, who played for Nottingham Forest during his playing days, has been mercilessly sacked following the club’s 5-1 defeat to Sweden in the early hours of Monday morning, according to multiple reports.
Arsenal’s Victor Gokeres and Liverpool’s Alexander Isak were also on the scoresheet in the match in Guadalupe, Mexico, with Yassin Ayari scoring twice for Sweden. Omar Rekik gave Tunisia a comfortable victory, but it wasn’t enough to embarrass the African side.
Kebayer will oversee preparations for the remaining group match between Japan and the Netherlands, with the next match at Worlds being against Japan in Guadalupe on Saturday, June 20th.
Liverpool’s Alexander Isak scores for Sweden as they beat Tunisia 5-1 (Image: (Luke Hales/Getty Images))
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page
According to reports from Tunisia, the Tunisian Football Federation held an emergency meeting after the full-time whistle against Sweden following a series of disappointing results ahead of the World Cup. Tunisia lost to Belgium 5-0 in their last warm-up game before going to the United States. Lamouchi, who previously managed Forest in the Championship, has been in charge of the national team for just five games since taking over at the start of this year, following the departure of previous manager Sami Trabelsi following their failure at the African Cup of Nations.
Tunisian star Mohamed Amin Ben Hamida spoke after the defeat to Sweden and had a message for his country’s supporters. “We lost badly because of small details and mistakes,” he told La Presse.
“At this level, when you play against a team like Sweden, you pay a high price for making such serious mistakes. Sweden were more efficient and exploited all our mistakes. Following this defeat, I apologize to the Tunisian people.”
“I want to recover in the next game and get back on track. I definitely need to concentrate from now on.”
Get the latest 2026 World Cup news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletter
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
