Tunisia's head coach Sabri Lamouchi takes part in a training session ahead of the 2026 World Cup. | Photo Credit: AFP

Just like Tunisia, Sabri Lamouchi will be looking to advance from the group stage for the first time, having failed to do so with an Ivory Coast side in 2014 that had the services of superstars like Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and more.

Guiding Tunisia is certain to be a much tougher task for the 54-year-old, who has managed the side in just four games ahead of the tournament, winning just one.

Lamouchi has made sweeping changes to the squad, taking fresher faces on the plane to North America. Ferjani Sassi, Ali Maaloul and Yassine Meriah, all of whom were part of the team that crashed out in the AFCON 2025 round of 16, have been left out despite having almost 300 international caps between them.

His gamble to revamp the squad in such little time will add more pressure on the former French international.

Sabri Lamouchi record as coach:

• Matches: 324
• Wins: 147
• Draws: 70
• Losses: 107
• Win percentage: 45.37

Sabri Lamouchi record as Tunisia coach:

• Matches: 4
• Wins: 1
• Draws: 1
• Losses: 2
• Win percentage: 25.00

What has Sabri Lamouchi said ahead of the World Cup?

“We enter the tournament with a clear mindset and a single goal, which is to qualify for the second round. Few people expect us to be able to do that, but I am confident that we can, and the most important thing for me is to make my players believe that it is possible.”

“I know that Tunisians will stand behind their national team... They have experienced some disappointments, but if we give them reasons to be proud and the players fight on the field, they will support the team. This is what we are trying to build.”

Published on Jun 15, 2026