NEW YORK CITY -- Tunisia head coach Herve Renard has confirmed speculation that his contract to oversee the Carthage Eagles only runs until the end of the 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 that 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."
The head coach will now oversee the Carthage Eagles last match -- against Netherlands in Kansas City on Thursday -- with the aim of salvaging some pride before presumably departing his post, unless any further negotiations are forthcoming.
Renard was appointed on Tuesday following the departure of Lamouchi, who lost his job on the back of a 5-0 pre-tournament mauling by Belgium, before the Eagles' opening 5-1 Group F loss against Sweden in Monterrey on June 14.
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, Ivory Coast ending their years of underachievement to win the same trophy three years later, and Saudi Arabia's World Cup giant-killing 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."