Tunisia sacks World Cup head coach Sabri Lamouchi after five months, brings back Mondher Kebaier

Five months. That’s how long Sabri Lamouchi lasted as Tunisia’s head coach before the Tunisian Football Federation decided they’d seen enough. The Carthage Eagles fired Lamouchi on June 15, 2026, just hours after a brutal 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

His replacement: Mondher Kebaier, a familiar face who previously managed the national team from August 2019 to January 2022. The FTF didn’t exactly take time to deliberate. Kebaier was appointed the same day Lamouchi was shown the door.

From stability hire to five-month footnote

Lamouchi was brought in on January 14, 2026, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract. His predecessor, Sami Trabelsi, had departed following Tunisia’s round-of-16 exit at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The thinking was that Lamouchi, with his experience in European football, could build something sustainable.

The 5-1 scoreline wasn’t just a loss. It was a defensive collapse. Tunisia conceded five goals in a single World Cup match. Reports suggest the internal pressure within the FTF was enormous following the match, apparently leaving federation officials with little appetite for a measured response.

Kebaier gets a second chance

Mondher Kebaier is not a gamble. He’s a known quantity. His first stint with the national team ran from August 2019 through January 2022, a period that included navigating the COVID-disrupted international calendar and the early stages of World Cup qualifying.

Tunisia’s World Cup history and what this means going forward

Tunisia’s relationship with the World Cup has always been one of qualification over progression. The Carthage Eagles have qualified for the tournament multiple times but have never advanced beyond the group stage.

The FTF now finds itself scrambling through yet another coaching change. Trabelsi to Lamouchi to Kebaier, all within roughly six months. The mathematical path out of the group stage likely just got significantly harder after dropping their opener by four goals, given that goal difference could become a deciding factor.

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