Sabri Lamouchi isn’t the first manager to be sacked in the middle of an ongoing World Cup campaign.

In the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, Tunisia had an embarrassing opening game against Sweden, getting whooped by five goals. If it wasn’t already a shocker for the Tunisian football fraternity, what happened next left them speechless. Head coach Sabri Lamouchi was immediately removed from his position by the Tunisian football federation, bringing his World Cup stint to an abrupt end.

While many fans were shocked to see a firing of this sort, Lamouchi isn’t the first to suffer such an embarrassment at the World Cup.

Henryk Kasperczak

A former Polish player and manager, Henryk Kasperczak managed multiple clubs and international sides in his career, including Tunisia twice. In the 1998 World Cup, Tunisia lost its first two group matches to England and Colombia. Before the third game versus Romania, Henryk Kasperczak was sacked by the federation. In short, this isn’t the first time Tunisia has sacked a manager in the middle of a World Cup campaign. He was replaced by Ali Selmi.

▪️🎙️Henryk Kasperczak sur le limogeage de Sabri Lamouchi
- La situation est compliquée, quand les résultats sont faibles, c'est l'entraîneur qui se retrouve sous le feu des critiques. On parle beaucoup de lui, qu'il n'est pas à la hauteur, avec cette équipe, et on le vire. pic.twitter.com/ZOzR7KSmBX

— numerodiez (@elchoukininho) June 15, 2026

Surprisingly, Henryk Kasperczak was recalled for a second stint with Tunisia in 2015. He left the position in 2017.

Cha Bum-kun

Cha Bum-kun (South Korea, 1998)#SportyTV #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/t2XZkXP3Ui

— SportyTV (@SportyTV) June 15, 2026

Cha Bum-kun is one of the earliest South Korean players to enjoy a long stint in Germany. For a year, he served as an international manager to guide South Korea at the 1998 World Cup, but his stint ended after the first two games. South Korea suffered a 1-3 defeat at the hands of Mexico, followed by another defeat against the Netherlands by a margin of five goals. He was sacked after the two games and replaced by Kim Pyeong-seok, who oversaw a draw against Belgium in the third match.

Carlos Alberto Parreira

🇸🇦 Carlos Alberto Parreira entrou para a história das Copas do Mundo ao se tornar o primeiro técnico a ser demitido com a competição em andamento. O fato ocorreu em 1998, durante o Mundial na França, quando ele comandava a seleção da Arábia Saudita.

A demissão aconteceu logo… pic.twitter.com/y7nNbNHNsx

— Futebol Nostálgico! (@futnostalgico) June 15, 2026

1998 also witnessed the sacking of Saudi Arabia’s manager, Carlos Alberto Parreira. Under his reign, Saudi Arabia lost the first two matches against Denmark and France. Mohammed al-Kharashy, who replaced Parreira, ensured the team drew with South Africa.

1998 saw three sackings during the tournament, but since 1930, only four have occurred at the World Cup. Surprisingly, all three replacements oversaw a draw for their respective teams in 1998. It will be fascinating to see whether Tunisia’s interim head coach, Mondher Kebaier, manages to do the same.