Five days before their opening Group I matchup against defending champions France at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Senegal men’s national football team touched down in New Brunswick, New Jersey, stepping off their team bus to a warm welcome from local fans. The delegation, headed by captain Kalidou Koulibaly, saw head coach Pape Thiaw and star winger Sadio Mané presented with bouquets of flowers from supporters as the squad checked into their tournament hotel.
For the Teranga Lions, the 2026 campaign carries high expectations and a historic narrative to chase. Back in 2002, the African side pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, beating tournament favorites and reigning champions France in their opening match, a result that propelled them to a quarter-final finish — still the best deep run in the nation’s World Cup history.
This year, Senegal faces a formidable test in Group I, paired with 2018 winners and 2022 runners-up France, European contender Norway, and tournament underdogs Iraq. Team leadership has made no secret of their ambition: to pull off another shock upset over France and match or even exceed their 2002 quarter-final run.
Off the pitch, however, the team’s pre-tournament preparation has been overshadowed by unresolved controversy stemming from January’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final. Senegal claimed a 1-0 extra-time victory over host Morocco in that match, but the final was marred by on-pitch chaos. After match officials awarded Morocco a late penalty, the Senegalese squad walked off the pitch in protest, triggering a disciplinary process that ultimately saw the Confederation of African Football (CAF) strip the team of their AFCON title. Senegal has since appealed the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the verdict still pending as the World Cup kicks off.
The 2026 tournament will mark a special return for Mané, the 34-year-old veteran who missed the entire 2022 World Cup through a devastating injury. Now fit and leading the squad once again, the Bayern Munich forward is seen as the team’s emotional and tactical leader heading into their opening clash.