When Sabri Lamouchi led the Ivory Coast to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he was leading a team full of established players. He returned to the stage 12 years later, this time as Tunisia’s head coach. The Tunisian Football Federation decided to fire Lamouchi after a 5-1 loss to Sweden in Monterrey, making him the first coach to be fired during an active World Cup.

The FTF announced his dismissal on its Instagram account. “An agreement has been officially reached to dismiss coach Sabri Lamouchi,” the statement read. “Plans are underway to appoint Mondher Kebaier as the national team coach on an interim basis to complete the World Cup qualifying matches.”

The timing of the decision drew mixed reactions from the football world. The federation acted fast, hoping to salvage their group stage. Lamouchi had overseen a 0-0 draw with Canada, a 1-0 loss to Austria, and a 5-0 defeat by Belgium in group play, putting his position under intense scrutiny.

The netizens also reacted quickly. Many saw the resigned disbelief that greeted the announcement across social media. Many also saw it as a glaring double standard: The players got a second chance, but the coach didn’t.

One fan went even further, calling the move “the worst possible idea” and claiming that Tunisia’s problems extended far beyond the coach. “We already knew that Lamouchi wasn’t a great tactician and that Tunisia had the level of a U23 national team,” they wrote. 

But fans saw deeper: Tunisia’s problem wasn’t Lamouchi. They qualified for the previous three World Cups with flawless campaigns. In qualifying for 2026, they did not concede a single goal, which is an insane achievement in and of itself. Tunisia faced Namibia, Liberia, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe in their qualification rounds.

Then they lost 5-1 to Sweden. Tunisia dominates weak qualifiers, collapses against elite teams. That’s not bad luck, that’s their ceiling.

To understand how Tunisia got here, one has to go back to 2004. Six of Tunisia’s key players, Francileudo Santos, Jose Clayton, Alaeddine Yahia, Mehdi Nafti, Adel Chedli, and Selim Benachour, were not even Tunisians when they won the Africa Cup of Nations at home. In 2003, a ruling allowed players with dual citizenship to switch allegiance if they had only represented another country in their youth.

Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria moved the fastest. That year’s AFCON final was contested by Tunisia and Morocco, both of which had heavily leaned on the ruling. Tunisia won the trophy, with Santos ending as the joint top scorer with Frédéric Kanouté (Mali), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), and Patrick Mboma (Cameroon).

Since then, everyone has been copying the blueprint. Tunisia did not fail to adapt; rather, they were caught up by competitors with larger diaspora pools. What felt like a competitive advantage became the norm, and Tunisia’s ceiling was quietly lowered.

What the Sweden game showed, and what Isak’s performance meant

Graham Potter’s Sweden made a statement of intent with the match, which also served as a personal showcase for Alexander Isak. Sweden opened their World Cup campaign with a commanding victory. Ayari’s two long-range goals bookended strikes from Isak, Viktor Gyökeres, and Mattias Svanberg. Isak was the architect of Tunisia’s demise throughout, scoring a brilliant solo goal. He pressured Skhiri into a turnover, then flicked a pass to Svanberg for the fourth goal.

His man-of-the-match award was uncontested. Yasin Ayari, who scored twice, kept his first celebration quiet out of respect for his father’s homeland. However, it was Isak’s cold, relentless performance that defined the evening. He had a huge hand in forcing the Tunisian Football Federation to make a decision they couldn’t avoid.

Tunisia emerges from qualifying, knocking on greatness’s door, then vanishes in tournaments. Sacking Sabri Lamouchi represents the federation doing what football federations always do. They react to a problem that is much older and deeper than any single coach.

Nobody knows whether Kebaier will be able to make any significant changes in the time remaining. Tunisia, as always, continues to knock on the door, still yet to walk through it.