Senegal

🌍 World Cup Story

Senegal's World Cup debut in 2002 in Japan/Korea is the stuff of legend. In their first ever game, they defeated France — the reigning world and European champions — 1-0 in one of the biggest shocks in tournament history. They went on to reach the quarterfinals (the second African nation to do so after Cameroon in 1990), losing to Turkey. The hero was El-Hadji Diouf. They then missed the next three World Cups. In 2022 they lost to England in the round of 16 despite having Sadio Mané — the 2022 African Footballer of the Year — limited by injury. They have since won AFCON 2021 and are Africa's most feared team entering 2026. Sadio Mané, now at an older age but still a dangerous player, leads a squad that includes Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) among an exceptionally talented generation.