Tunisia have acted swiftly to revive their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, appointing experienced French tactician Hervé Renard as head coach following the departure of Sabri Lamouchi, reports Completesports.com.

The change comes after the Carthage Eagles suffered an opening-match defeat at the tournament, prompting the federation to make an early managerial switch.

The North Africans are rooted to the bottom of their group after the 5-1 defeat to Sweden, and facing an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stages.

Tunisia Turn To Renard For Redemption

Renard is expected to arrive in Monterrey on Tuesday and will take charge of the team’s training session later in the day.

The 57-year-old’s first assignment will be a crucial Group F encounter against Japan on 20 June in Monterrey.

The Carthage Eagles will face Netherlands in their last group game.

Experience Will Be Vital

Renard is no stranger to African football. He remains the only coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations with two different nations, guiding Zambia to a remarkable triumph in 2012 before leading Côte d’Ivoire to continental glory three years later.

His coaching résumé also includes spells with Morocco and Saudi Arabia, as well as appearances at the FIFA World Cup.

Renard’s most recent World Cup experience came with Saudi Arabia at Qatar 2022, where his side produced one of the biggest shocks in tournament history by defeating eventual champions Argentina in the group stage.

The Tunisian federation believes that experience could prove invaluable as the Eagles attempt to rescue their campaign against strong opposition in Group F.

Although Renard’s initial appointment runs until the end of the current World Cup, reports indicate that discussions are already in place regarding a possible extension should both parties wish to continue beyond the tournament.

 

 21-year-old Nigerian forward Victor Akaniyene Udoh, who left English Championship side Southampton for Czech second-division side SK Dynamo Ceske Budejovice, has sadly passed away.

Former Royal Antwerp and Southampton U21 forward Victor Udoh reportedly died in Abuja at the age of 21.

Reports indicate that he went out with friends in Abuja last night and was found lifeless this morning.

Suspected food or drink poisoning is being mentioned, though this has not been officially confirmed.

The 21-year-old winger was in Nigeria on holiday at the time of the incident.

Lionel Messi is set to return to action for Argentina in their final warm-up match ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with head coach Lionel Scaloni confirming that the captain will feature against Iceland on Tuesday in Auburn, Alabama.

Messi missed Argentina’s 2-0 friendly victory over Honduras on June 6 despite taking part in the pre-match warm-up, as he continued his recovery from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring. The Inter Miami forward joined the national team camp after experiencing discomfort during his club’s MLS fixture against the Philadelphia Union before the league paused for the World Cup.

“Messi will play, I just don’t know how many minutes,” Scaloni said in a news conference, according to ESPN. “I still need to talk to him in today’s training, and we will see how many minutes he plays to avoid any type of risks. We will decide, but in principle he will play.”

The Argentina coach added that the squad’s minutes would be monitored closely as the reigning world champions prepare for their title defence.

“We’re going to distribute the minutes of the players who will play tomorrow to try to avoid any mishaps,” said the World Cup-winning coach.
Scaloni also confirmed that Nico Paz, Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel are available for selection after recovering from injuries that had forced them to train separately in recent days.

Meanwhile, the coach provided positive updates on Julian Alvarez and Leandro Paredes, both of whom have been dealing with fitness concerns. “Julian Alvarez is doing well; he has an ankle discomfort that’s going away,” Scaloni said. “Lea Paredes is also coming along well; in the next few days, he’ll be able to rejoin the group.”

Argentina are still weighing options to replace defender Leonardo Balerdi, who was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a calf injury and leaving the squad last week.

“We’ll have a clearer picture tomorrow after the match regarding his replacement,” Scaloni said. “We can cover Balerdi’s position, but we are also looking at other options depending on how the rest of the injured players progress.”

Argentina open their World Cup campaign against Algeria on June 16 before facing Austria and Jordan in Group J.