Senegal World Cup 2026 squad: Pape Thiaw's side to take on France

(Top L-R) Moussa Niakhaté, Nicolas Jackson, Pape Alassane Gueye, Ismaila Sarr, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly (Front L-R) Krépin Diatta, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Idrissa Gueye, Sadio , Lamine Camara (Image credit: Getty Images)

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The Mood
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Senegal went unbeaten in qualification for the 2026 World Cup, meaning they will be playing their third consecutive World Cup – and they even beat England over the summer.

The tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States likely represents the last for their 'golden generation' with several high-profile stars unlikely to be at the required level in 2030. They won't be 2026 favourites either, but they still have one of the most impressive squads at the tournament.

Of those high-profile stars at the top sits Sadio Mane, who now plays in Saudi Arabia alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Al-Nassr, is likely to be faded out following the conclusion of the tournament, by which time he'll be 34.

During his time with the national team, they have reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations twice, winning it once in 2022, the only time the nation has ever won it. Of course, he didn't do it alone.

Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, both of whom play in Saudi Arabia, will also be approaching the back end of their careers, making this tournament all the more important.

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It's not all doom and gloom however, with a crop of exciting talent bursting onto the scene in recent years. Tottenham's Pape Matar Sarr, Everton's Iliman Ndiaye and Bayern Munich's Nicolas Jackson are all under-25 and provide a refreshing touch out youth to the squad.

Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr and West Ham full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf are two more Premier League representatives who may have a big impact on the Senegal national team's chances in America next summer.

The Mood

Over the past decade, Senegal have either won the Africa Cup of Nations (2021) or been eliminated by the eventual champions (2017, 2019, 2023). This year, they managed both.

Although being stripped of their AFCON crown two months after the event no doubt stings (appeals are underway), such consistency does at least make Senegal the unofficial kings of African football. In the World Cup, though, they’ve struggled to replicate their memorable France-slaying explosion of 2002. In 2018, they were the first team in World Cup history eliminated on fair play rules. In 2022 their best player, Sadio Mane, was injured.

Yet their second-round defeat to England was the last time Senegal lost a competitive fixture in 90 minutes. This year, the stars may be aligning.

Squad

Senegal World Cup 2026 squad: The final selection

GK: Yehvann Diouf (Nice)
GK: Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli)
GK: Mory Diaw (Le Havre)
DF: Mamadou Sarr (Chelsea)
DF: Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal)
DF: Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haifa)
DF: Ismail Jakobs (Galatasaray)
DF: Krepin Diatta (Monaco)
DF: Moussa Niakhate (Lyon)
DF: Antoine Mendy (Nice)
DF: El Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham United)
MF: Idrissa Gueye (Everton)
MF: Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano)
MF: Lamine Camara (Monaco)
MF: Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)
MF: Habib Diarra (Sunderland)
MF: Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Bayern Munich)
MF: Pape Gueye (Villarreal)
FW: Assane Diao (Como)
FW: Bamba Dieng (Lorient)
FW: Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr)
FW: Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich)
FW: Cherif Ndiaye (Samsunspor)
FW: Iliman Ndiaye (Everton)
FW: Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace)
FW: Ibrahim Mbaye (Paris Saint-Germain)

Fixtures

June 16, 2026: France vs Senegal, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States
June 23, 2026: Norway vs Senegal, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States
June 26, 2026: Senegal vs Iraq, BMO Field, Toronto, Canada

Manager

Who is Senegal's manager?

Pape Bouna Thiaw, Head Coach of Senegal, before the International Friendly match between Brazil and Senegal at Emirates Stadium on November 15, 2025 in London, England. — (Image credit: Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

Pape Thiaw has an exceptional record as Senegal manager.

He took charge of Senegal in the African Nations Championship in 2022, a competition where only players from their national leagues can compete. They the tournament, beating hosts Algeria in the final.

In 2026, Senegal won the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, at least on the pitch. Thiaw was banned for five games after a controversial and chaotic final in Rabat in January.

Star player

Who is Senegal's star player?

Senegal AFCON 2023 squad: Senegal's midfielder #10 Sadio Mane gestures during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP) (Photo by ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images) — Sadio Mane for Senegal (Image credit: Getty Images)

Sadio Mane is a name very familiar to Premier League fans. The 33-year-old is approaching the twilight of his career and the 2026 World Cup is most likely the last dance for him at International level.

Mane is ranked at no.6 FourFourTwo's list of the best African footballers ever, and at no.72 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest Premier League players of all time. During his time at Liverpool he won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Alongside other veterans Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, who are both also likely to be looking at the end of their international careers, the World Cup in north America provides the perfect platform to cement their legacy.

Best XI

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Maher Mezahi is an African football journalist that has been covering the sport on the continent for over a decade for various media outlets including Al Jazeera English, The Athletic, The Guardian, ESPN FC and more. He has covered five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and several African Champions League finals. Presently, he is a contributing editor at Africa Is a Country, and also hosts the African Five-a-Side podcast. He has produced and presented football documentaries for Vice Sports, Copa 90, FIFA+ and BBC. Mezahi lives and works in Algiers, Algeria and has been based there since 2016.