Reports suggest that Herve Renard is set to be appointed as the new head coach of the Tunisia national football team.

The Tunisia national team is reportedly preparing to name Herve Renard — the man who once haunted Lionel Messi’s World Cup dreams in 2022 — as their new manager following the dismissal of Sabri Lamouchi.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has only just begun, but the tournament has already witnessed a major surprise.

The shock came from the Tunisian national team, which decided to sack its head coach Sabri Lamouchi in the middle of the competition.

This bold move came shortly after Tunisia suffered a humiliating defeat in their opening Group F match on Monday (15 June 2026) local time.

The Carthage Eagles were crushed 1–5 by Sweden.

In that match, Sweden took control early with two goals in the 7th and 30th minutes through Yasin Ayari and Alexander Isak.

Tunisia briefly reduced the deficit before halftime, with Omar Rekik scoring in the 43rd minute.

Unfortunately for Tunisia, the second half turned into a nightmare as Hannibal Mejbri and his teammates conceded three more goals to the Blågult side.

Sweden’s final three goals came from Viktor Gyokeres (59’), Mattias Svanberg (84’), and a second goal by Yasin Ayari (90+6’).

According to prominent English journalist Ben Jacobs, the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) is expected to appoint Herve Renard as their new head coach.

The decision has raised eyebrows, as earlier reports had linked Tunisia with a possible return for former manager Mondher Kebaier.

Kebaier previously led Tunisia from August 2019 until January 2022.

If Renard’s appointment is confirmed, Tunisia will become the third national team he has guided at a World Cup.

The French tactician previously managed Morocco at the 2018 World Cup and Saudi Arabia in the 2022 edition.

Renard was actually close to leading Saudi Arabia again at the 2026 World Cup but was dismissed less than two months before the tournament began, replaced by Greek coach Giorgos Donis.

One of Renard’s most memorable moments on the global stage was guiding Saudi Arabia to a stunning 2–1 victory over Argentina in their opening group match of the 2022 World Cup.

That triumph momentarily dashed Lionel Messi’s hopes of lifting the World Cup trophy.

However, Argentina eventually recovered and went on to become champions at the end of the tournament.

Despite Tunisia’s heavy defeat in their first 2026 World Cup match, they still have a chance to progress to the knockout stage.

The Carthage Eagles have two more games remaining in the group phase to turn their fortunes around.