Tunisia have announced the appointment of Herve Renard as new head coach after the shock dismissal of Sabri Lamouchi earlier in the week.
The North African side suffered an embarrassing 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening match at the 2026 World Cup which led to the dismissal of the Frenchman.
Lamouchi became the fourth manager to be dismissed in the middle of a World Cup tournament and the first since Julen Lopetegui of Spain in 2018.
Now, Herve Renard has been appointed as their new head coach and will lead them for the remainder of the tournament.
His first match in charge will be against Japan, who they face on Sunday as they seek their first win at the tournament.
The Asian side recorded a 2-2 draw with Netherlands in their opening encounter and are also eyeing their first win of the 2026 World Cup.
Herve Renard now takes charge of his third consecutive World Cup tournament. He led Morocco to the 2018 edition, before leading Saudi Arabia to the last edition in 2022 where they beat eventual champions Argentina 2-1 in the opening clash.
However, he has never progressed beyond the group stages of the World Cup, although he has achieved success at continental level in Africa, winning the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012 with Zambia and in 2015 with Ivory Coast.
Tunisia and Japan will meet for the seventh time at senior level and Herve Renard will face a tough task with history against him.
The African side have only won one of the previous six matches, losing five times including in their last meeting in October 2023 when they were beaten 2-0.
Tunisia will conclude their group campaign against Netherlands on June 26, as they look to progress beyond the group stage of the World Cup.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
