Herve Renard Appointed Tunisia Head Coach During FIFA World Cup 2026

The Frenchman replaces dismissed Moroccan coach Sabri Lamouchi and will take charge in the Carthage Eagles' second match of the tournament.

French coach Hervé Renard has been appointed by the Tunisian Football Federation as the new head coach of Tunisia, replacing Moroccan manager Sabri Lamouchi, who was dismissed following the team's heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

THE DETAILS

The Federation announced on Tuesday that Renard will take charge of the Tunisian national team later today. According to the statement, the agreement preserves the financial terms previously held by Lamouchi and also includes plans for talks after the World Cup regarding a potential long-term extension, depending on the team's results and objectives.

RENARD, A FAMILIAR FACE IN AFRICAN FOOTBALL

Renard, 57, has been without a national-team role since leaving Saudi Arabia in April. He guided the Green Falcons to qualification for the 2026 World Cup after previously leading them at Qatar 2022.

The Frenchman is one of football's great globetrotters, boasting extensive experience across Africa. Throughout his career, he has managed the national teams of Zambia, Angola, Ivory Coast and Morocco, as well as clubs including USM Alger. In France, he has coached Sochaux and Lille, while also taking charge of the French women's national team between 2023 and 2024.

Interestingly, Renard succeeded Lamouchi once before, when he took over Ivory Coast in 2014 after Lamouchi resigned from his position with the Elephants. This time, Lamouchi's spell in charge of Tunisia, which began in January, came to an abrupt end after a disappointing World Cup debut and a 5-0 defeat to Belgium in the team's final warm-up match before the tournament.

The appointment marks Renard's third World Cup campaign as a head coach, having previously managed Morocco at Russia 2018 and Saudi Arabia at Qatar 2022. His first match in charge of Tunisia will come on Saturday in Monterrey, Mexico, against Japan.

At Russia 2018, Morocco narrowly missed out on reaching the knockout stages, finishing bottom of Group B after 1-0 defeats to Iran and Portugal. They came close to beating Spain in their final match, but a 2-2 draw sealed their elimination.

At Qatar 2022, Saudi Arabia produced one of the tournament's biggest upsets by defeating eventual champions Argentina 2-1. However, subsequent losses to Poland (2-0) and Mexico (2-1) left the Saudis bottom of Group C and out of the competition.