Tunisia team changes coach in the first round and experiences fourth historic event in the World Cup
In the early hours of this Monday (15), the Tunisian national team surprised the football world by announcing the departure of coach Sabri Lamouchi. The change in technical command came immediately after the heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden, in the team’s first match at the 2026 World Cup, taking fans and analysts by surprise due to the unusual nature of the event.
A change of coach during a World Cup is extremely atypical, especially in the opening phase. This event represents, however, the fourth occurrence of this type in the entire history of the championship, highlighting the intense pressure that the teams face, even in tournaments of limited duration. The recurrence, although rare, highlights a constant in the history of football: the relentless expectation for immediate results.
Historical precedents: changes of command in the 1998 World Cup
The three events prior to this Tunisian case were recorded in the 1998 World Cup, hosted in France. Among them, the situation of Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who was then leading the Saudi Arabian national team, stands out. He was dismissed from his position after failures against Denmark and France, still in the group stage, with Mohamed Al-Kharashy, his assistant, taking over the position.
Notably, one of the previous episodes also featured Tunisia as a protagonist. In the same 1998 World Cup, the African team decided to remove coach Henryk Kasperczak after an early elimination in the group stage, which already pointed to the volatility and strong internal demands that historically accompany the team in World Cups.
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Completing the series of dismissals in 1998, South Korea also promoted a change in its technical leadership. Coach Cha Bum-kun was removed from his post after a 5-0 defeat against the Netherlands, marking yet another significant example of harsh decisions taken during the competition.
For the next commitments of this edition, Tunisia will count on the provisional leadership of a national football icon. According to findings from Estadão, Wahbi Khazri, the Tunisian athlete with the most goals in World Cups, with three goals, will be responsible for reorganizing the squad after the shocking setback.
Tunisia’s next challenge in the competition
The Tunisian team’s next clash is crucial for their championship aspirations. The team will face Japan on Sunday (21), at 1 am, in the city of Monterrey, with the aim of seeking rehabilitation in the World Cup and trying to transform the current crisis situation into a movement of overcoming on the field.
