It is now certain that Tunisia’s emergency head coach, Herve Renard would only be in charge for matches at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup before his contract ends.
According to ESPN, Renard has confirmed speculation that his contract to oversee the Carthage Eagles only runs until the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with no current plans to extend beyond the tournament.
The Frenchman was drafted in as a replacement for Sabri Lamouchi after Tunisia’s opener, but was unable to prevent the defeat by Japan on Saturday, June 21, which condemned them to elimination after two matches.
There had been some uncertainty as to whether the deal to bring Renard to the Tunisia set up was purely for the tournament itself, or whether the Frenchman represents a longer-term appointment by the North Africans.
“I’ve come for a World Cup mission,” Renard confirmed to ESPN on Monday. “I have not signed beyond that.”
As it stands, the head coach will now oversee the Carthage Eagles last match — against Netherlands in Kansas City on Thursday, June 24. He would approach the match with the sole aim of salvaging some pride before presumably quiting his post, unless any further negotiations are forthcoming.
Renard was appointed on Tuesday, June 23 following the departure of Lamouchi, who was sacked after the Eagles lost their opening 5-1 Group F match against Sweden 5-1 against Sweden in Monterrey on June 14.
In the run-up to the tournament, the Eagles had been mauled 5-0 by Belgium in a friendly.
Tunisia appointed new head coach Herve Renard one defeat into their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, with the hope that he would steady the wings of the Eagles to soar at the tournament.
The 57-year-old arrived with a reputation for pulling off unlikely feats in international football, having overseen Zambia’s unthinkable Africa Cup of Nations victory in 2012. He also led Ivory Coast to end their years of underachievement by winning the same trophy three years later, and masterminded Saudi Arabia’s World Cup giant-killing feat over Argentina at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Netherlands’ victory over Sweden earlier on Saturday meant that Tunisia knew they’d be eliminated with a defeat heading into their later kickoff with Japan, but they crumbled to a 4-0 defeat.
In the process, Tunisia became the first World Cup side since Greece in 1994 to lose both of their opening tournament matches by a four-goal margin, but can still salvage some pride when they conclude a challenging campaign against the Netherlands.
To date, seven African teams have exited the tournament losing every game they’ve played, with Tunisia aiming to avoid becoming the first team since Egypt in 2018 to depart the tournament with zero points.
“We need to stay motivated, that is very important since we represent a nation,” Renard said after the defeat by Japan.
“It’s never easy after a second defeat in two matches, but we must assume our responsibilities and be professional for the next game.”
