Tunisia has officially announced the departure of head coach Sabri Lamouchi, appointing Hervé Renard as his successor after a disappointing 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their World Cup opener in Monterrey.
Lamouchi, who became the first managerial casualty of the tournament, had been in charge since January under a contract that was set to run until 2028. His exit comes ahead of crucial matches against Japan and the Netherlands.
During his tenure, Tunisia managed just one win in five matches, securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Haiti in March, while suffering defeats to Austria and Belgium, including a staggering 5-0 loss in two World Cup warm-up matches this month.
The Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) confirmed that Renard will guide the team through the remainder of their World Cup journey. Their statement indicated, “The agreement also stipulates that negotiations will be opened after the World Cup campaign to consider a long-term partnership based on specific sporting objectives,”
According to reports from the state broadcaster Television Tunisienne, Renard is expected to arrive in Monterrey later on Tuesday to join the squad.
Renard boasts an impressive coaching resume, having won the Africa Cup of Nations twice. He previously led Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he orchestrated a remarkable victory over eventual champions Argentina during the group stage. After coaching the French women’s team for the 2023 World Cup and the Paris Olympics, he returned to Saudi Arabia, helping their men’s team qualify for a third consecutive World Cup before being replaced by Georgios Donis.
Meanwhile, in Algeria, local fans are rallying around their team, the Desert Warriors, as they prepare to take on defending champions Argentina. The city of Lawrence, Kansas, has warmly embraced Algeria, who have established their training base there, about 40 miles west of Kansas City. Coach Petkovic expressed gratitude for the community’s enthusiastic support.
Videos capturing the vibrant support for Algeria in Lawrence have gone viral, showcasing emotional moments of fans celebrating the team’s journey and the World Cup spirit. Local artist Stan Herd shared insights on how this support blossomed.
“I think everybody’s surprised at it,” Herd explained that the journey began in April when it was announced that Lawrence would host Algeria. “a blue city in a red state” he commented. “We competed against Spain, one of the best teams in the world. We are very happy and proud of all the players and people of Cape Verde.” Local organizers made a concerted effort to ensure the country felt welcomed in their city, commissioning art and decorating with signs on lamp-posts that read ‘1,2,3, Viva l’Algérie!’ Even McDonald’s displayed signs in their drive-thru welcoming Algeria and football fans.
Herd characterized Lawrence as “We are completely calm, convinced that there is a long way to go. As we see it, we have seven games left,” noting that with a population nearing 100,000, it is home to 27,000 college students from the University of Kansas, approximately 30% of whom are minorities or international students.
Looking ahead, France is poised to unleash their formidable attacking lineup, featuring stars like Kylian Mbappé, former Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, and speedy winger Michael Olise as they commence their campaign against Senegal in New Jersey.
The French squad aims to avoid a repeat of their opening-day defeat to Senegal, which occurred during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, a loss that led to the reigning champions exiting in the group stage. Luke Entwistle reflects on that regrettable match for Les Bleus, highlighting the need for a robust partnership between Mbappé and Dembélé from the outset.
“Mbappé’s on-field relationship with Ousmane Dembélé is a critical issue. Dembélé has yet to deliver his best performances for the national team, notably during the World Cup final four years ago, when he was substituted at halftime. Following his recent Ballon d’Or victory, there is a push for him to play in the No. 9 position, which he has excelled in since his transition at PSG under Luis Enrique, but that spot is held by Mbappé at the international level. When asked about Mbappé’s role as centre-forward, Deschamps provided a straightforward response. Managers like Luis Enrique, Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, and Álvaro Arbeloa have all made the same choice at club level over the past three years. Shifting him now would be illogical. However, Dembélé’s struggles on the right wing and his failure to forge a partnership with the France captain have ignited a national debate reminiscent of England’s concerns in 2006 about fitting Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard into the same lineup.
Reflecting on that 2002 match, it’s clear it left a lasting impact worldwide.
World Cup Daily: Our team is on the ground, bringing you a podcast each day. In the latest episode, Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay, Dan Bardell, and Sid Lowe to discuss all the draws. Tune in!
In Miami, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay played to a 1-1 draw, a match that lacked excitement according to Matt Hughes’ report:
“you are stronger than everything”
On the field, Maximiliano Araújo salvaged a point for La Celeste, denying Saudi Arabia a memorable World Cup victory as the match ended in a 1-1 deadlock.
Saudi Arabia, which had stunned Argentina in their last World Cup opener, initially took the lead with Abdulelah al-Amri scoring in the first half. However, they faced significant pressure late in the match and struggled to fend off Uruguay’s advances.
Uruguay controlled possession in the second half, with Manuel Ugarte striking the post from distance after an hour of play. The pressure finally yielded results in the 80th minute when Araújo netted from close range following a saved header by Federico Viñas.
In another surprising match, Spain was held to a shocking 0-0 draw by World Cup newcomers Cape Verde. Sid Lowe’s match report opened with the words, “writing history, the whole world is watching you” a sentiment that seems understated given the circumstances.
The European champions were anticipated to easily defeat Cape Verde in their Group H opener, but despite controlling 74% of possession and bombarding the Cape Verde goal, the 2010 world champions could not find the net against the underdogs from the small archipelago of just 525,000 residents. Not even Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who came off the bench, could spark a breakthrough for Luis de la Fuente’s team.
As the final whistle blew, Cape Verde’s players and fans celebrated exuberantly after achieving a remarkable point in their inaugural World Cup match. “The dream came true,” goalkeeper Vozinha told reporters. “We faced Spain, one of the best teams in the world. We are very happy and proud of all the players and the people of Cape Verde.”
Meanwhile, Spain’s head coach, De la Fuente, maintained there was no reason for alarm, confidently asserting his belief that his squad would reach the final. “We are completely calm, convinced that there is a long way to go. We see it as having seven games left,” he stated.
Iran played to a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in a match overshadowed by challenges leading up to the tournament. After the game, Iran’s head coach Amir Ghalenoei criticized FIFA and expressed discontent with the U.S. government for instructing them to leave Los Angeles immediately.
“We’ve spent so much time commuting in the air. They didn’t even give us time to recover after the game today. They said we had to leave immediately. It’s very important for us to have time for recovery and yet we were asked to return to Tijuana and we are really troubled by that. We do not know why they are returning us. I think it’s very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us, decisions are made elsewhere. We were supposed to arrive two nights before the game and we were not permitted. We were supposed to stay tonight and return tomorrow lunchtime, but I have no idea why, and they haven’t told us. Our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. The federation is absent here. Our media isn’t here. Our management team, many of them aren’t here. We used to have part of a coaching team to help with substitutions but we didn’t have that. Many in the technical area had to deal with that.”
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi characterized their situation as a “disaster” and revealed that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had visited the dressing room, offering to “help” the team. Footage shared on social media shows Infantino encouraging players, stating, “You are stronger than everything” and reminding them that they are “writing history; the whole world is watching you.”
Infantino is also believed to have assured the players that he would do everything possible to ensure that more members of the Iranian delegation, who were denied visas, could travel to the U.S. for their remaining group matches.
As we progress through the tournament, we are officially two-thirds of the way through the first group matches of the 2026 World Cup. How are we feeling? Excited, thrilled, enjoying the football? Tired, overwhelmed, exhausted? Perhaps a mix of all the above? Regardless of where you stand, brace yourselves, as there is still much more to come.
This round has yielded reactions from matches like Spain 0-0 Cape Verde, Belgium 1-1 Egypt, Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay, and Iran 2-2 New Zealand (everyone gets a draw). As we look ahead, there’s France vs. Senegal, Iraq vs. Norway, Argentina vs. Algeria, and Austria vs. Jordan. How will the 2022 finalists perform? What about the African champions? Or the new faces from Asia? This World Cup has already brought several surprises, and with so many matches remaining, more are certainly on the horizon.
What are your thoughts on the performances so far? How is your World Cup experience? Are you watching from home, or did you manage to get tickets? Please share your predictions, questions, comments, or concerns via email.
