Although the federation initially deleted the statement announcing Lamouchi’s dismissal, prompting speculation that it might reconsider the decision, it later reposted the announcement on Tuesday morning, confirming his departure.
Also on Tuesday, Tunisia’s state news agency, Tunis Afrique Presse, reported that negotiations with Lamouchi’s replacement had been concluded and that French coach Hervé Renard had been chosen to take charge of the team.
The 57-year-old Renard is expected to arrive in Mexico, where the Tunisian national team is currently based for the tournament, later on Tuesday. He is set to immediately oversee his first training session with the squad.
This will mark Renard’s third consecutive FIFA World Cup as a head coach, having previously led Morocco at the 2018 World Cup and Saudi Arabia at the 2022 edition.
However, he has never progressed beyond the group stage. In 2022, despite guiding Saudi Arabia to a famous victory over Argentina, his side lost their next two matches and failed to qualify for the Round of 16.
Tunisia have now made history as the first team to dismiss a head coach after only one match during a FIFA World Cup tournament.
The North African side will face Japan on Sunday, June 21, 2026, before concluding their Group F campaign against the Netherlands.
