Tunisia didn't hang around. Less than 48 hours after being torn apart 5-1 by Sweden in Monterrey, Sabri Lamouchi has been sacked — making him the first managerial casualty of the 2026 World Cup. Herve Renard is set to replace him, according to Tunis Afrique Presse.
Lamouchi had only been in the job since January, appointed on a contract running to 2028. That tenure lasted roughly five months and one catastrophic Group F performance. With fixtures still to come against Japan on Saturday and the Netherlands on June 25, Tunisia clearly decided a change now was better than watching the tournament slip away entirely.
Renard is a serious appointment
Renard is not a panic pick. The Frenchman won the Africa Cup of Nations twice and took Saudi Arabia to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they famously beat eventual champions Argentina in the group stage. If anyone knows how to galvanise a squad mid-tournament, it's him. Tunisia's odds to progress from Group F were already long — they just got marginally less hopeless.
Whether he can do anything meaningful in the time available is another question. Two matches, a fractured squad, and opponents of the calibre of Japan and the Netherlands. The job is damage limitation at best, but Renard has done more with less.
Iran cry foul over travel restrictions
The other major story from the tournament's opening days involves Iran, who drew 2-2 with New Zealand but are furious about the conditions surrounding that match. Coach Amir Ghalenoei used the word "oppressed" — and the specifics back him up.
Iran's base camp was moved at the last minute from Arizona to Mexico amid US visa uncertainty. They then expected to stay overnight in Los Angeles after the game to recover, only to be told they had to return to Mexico immediately. Ghalenoei said key backroom staff couldn't travel at all due to visa restrictions, leaving coaches to cover additional roles on the bench.
Forward Mehdi Taremi was blunt about the impact: "It's not good for us. I think it's not good for football. I think FIFA have to help us more than this." Several players cramped during the New Zealand match — Ghalenoei linked that directly to the extra travel demands.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino reportedly visited the Iran dressing room after the game. Neither FIFA nor the US State Department have publicly responded to questions about the restrictions. The context is hard to ignore: the match was played barely 24 hours after a peace deal was announced following a conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran that began in February.
New Zealand lose Garbett to hamstring injury
New Zealand have their own problems. Midfielder Matt Garbett, who plays for Peterborough United in League One, has been ruled out of the entire tournament with a hamstring injury picked up in training before the Iran draw. Logan Rogerson of Auckland FC comes in as his replacement.
"It's a weird feeling to be honest, slightly conflicted as I am also buzzing to get out there and meet up with the team," Rogerson said — about as honest an admission as you'll hear from a player stepping into someone else's misfortune. New Zealand face Egypt next on June 22.
