A change in leadership failed to spark a turnaround for Tunisia in the 2026 World Cup group stage, as the squad suffered a heavy defeat against Japan on Saturday night in Guadalupe, Mexico. In a desperate attempt to salvage their campaign following a 5-1 loss to Sweden, the Carthage Eagles appointed Hervé Renard as manager.
However, with only a few days to implement his vision, Renard—the veteran coach known for his tenures with Saudi Arabia and the French women’s national team—was unable to reverse Tunisia’s downward trajectory in the tournament.
Japan’s commanding 4-0 victory at Monterrey Stadium officially eliminated Tunisia from knockout-round contention. The match was highlighted by a stellar performance from Ayase Ueda, who recorded two goals and an assist. The result pushes the Samurai Blue to the top of Group F, tied with the Netherlands, whom Japan previously drew 2-2.
Both Japan and the Netherlands currently hold four points and identical goal differentials, after the Netherlands secured a dominant 5-1 win over Sweden earlier in the day.
The fixture between Japan and Tunisia marked the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history, though the contest proved to be more of a rout than a competitive battle.
Under previous manager Sabri Lamouchi, Tunisia had conceded a goal just seven minutes into their opening match against Sweden. With Renard now in charge, the struggle persisted, as Japan found the back of the net just four minutes into the match.
From that early deficit, Tunisia’s situation only worsened as Japan maintained control until the final whistle.
