Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

FourFourTwo

Sport

Ewan Gennery

Senegal World Cup 2026 squad: Pape Thiaw's latest selection for March friendlies

Senegal Pape Thiaw World Cup World Cup 2026 the World Cup Kalidou Koulibaly Sadio Mane Edouard Mendy El Hadji Malick Diouf EPL

Senegal World Cup 2026 squad: Senegal's forward #10 Sadio Mane (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Africa qualifiers (Photo by Patrick Meinhardt / AFP).

The Senegal World Cup 2026 squad is coming together ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

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 who play in Saudi Arabia will also be approaching the back end of their careers, making this tournament all the more important.

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.

Squad

Senegal World Cup 2026 squad: The March selection

GK: Yehvann Diouf (Nice)
GK: Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli)
GK: Mory Diaw (Le Havre)
DF: Mamadou Sarr (Chelsea)
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)
DF: Nobel Mendy (Rayo Vallecano)
DF: Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal)
MF: Idrissa Gueye (Everton)
MF: Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano)
MF: Lamine Camara (Monaco)
MF: Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)
MF: Habib Diarra (Sunderland)
MF: Pape Gueye (Villarreal)
FW: Assane Diao (Como)
FW: Boulaye Dia (Lazio)
FW: Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich)
FW: Cherif Ndiaye (Samsunspor)
FW: Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace)
FW: Habib Diallo (Metz)
FW: Bamba Dieng (Lorient)
FW: Ibrahim Mbaye (Paris Saint-Germain)
FW: Mamadou Diakhon (Club Brugge)
FW: Iliman Ndiaye (Everton)

Fixtures

May 31, 2026: United States vs Senegal, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, United States
June 09, 2026: Saudi Arabia vs Senegal, Alamodome, San Antonio, United States
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?

(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?

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.