Senegal national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Senegal

Nickname(s)	Lions de la Téranga English: Lions of Teranga
Association	Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Pape Thiaw
Captain	Kalidou Koulibaly
Most caps	Idrissa Gueye (121)
Top scorer	Sadio Mané (45)
Home stadium	Diamniadio Olympic Stadium
FIFA code	SEN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	24 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest	17 (Feb–April 2024)
Lowest	99 (June 2013)
Elo ranking
Current	31 4 (3 March 2019)
Highest	21 (June 2002)
Lowest	105 (October 1994)
First international
Pre-independence:  British Gambia 1–2 French Senegal (The Gambia; 1959) Post-independence:  Dahomey 3–2 Senegal  (31 December 1961)
Biggest win
Senegal 10–1 Mauritania  (Dakar, Senegal; 28 September 1972)
Biggest defeat
Guinea 5–0 Senegal  (Guinea; 6 March 1966)  Guinea 5–0 Senegal  (Conakry, Guinea; 23 August 2017)
World Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 2002)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2002)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	18 (first in 1965)
Best result	Champions (2021)
African Nations Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 2009)
Best result	Champions (2022)
Amílcar Cabral Cup
Appearances	19 (first in 1979)
Best result	Champions (1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 2001)
Medal record Africa Cup of Nations Gold 2021 Cameroon Silver 2019 Egypt Silver 2002 Mali African Nations Championship Gold 2022 Algeria Amílcar Cabral Cup Silver 2005 Guinea Gold 2001 Mali Silver 2000 Cape Verde Silver 1997 Gambia Silver 1993 Sierra Leone Gold 1991 Senegal Gold 1986 Senegal Gold 1985 Gambia Gold 1984 Sierra Leone Gold 1983 Mauritania Silver 1982 Cape Verde Bronze 1981 Mali Gold 1980 Gambia Gold 1979 Guinea-Bissau

The Senegal national football team is also known as Les Lions de la Teranga, which means The Lions of Teranga in French. This team represents the country of Senegal in men's international football games. The Senegalese Football Federation manages the team.

Senegal is one of Africa's most famous football teams. They made it to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This was a huge achievement, as they were only the second African team to do so. They surprised everyone by beating the defending world champions, France. They then won against Sweden before losing to Turkey.

Senegal first played in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1965. They finished fourth in that tournament. They hosted the 1992 African Cup of Nations and reached the quarter-finals. The team was also a runner-up in 2002 and 2019. Finally, Senegal won their first Africa Cup of Nations title in 2021. They beat Egypt in the final after a penalty shootout.

Senegal is one of the few national teams that has never lost to Brazil. They have one win and one draw against them in friendly matches.

Armand Traoré and his father both played for Senegal

Ismail Jakobs played many games for Senegal

Team History

Early Years

Senegal became independent from France on April 4, 1960. The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) was created that same year. Their first match was on December 31, 1961, against Dahomey (now Benin), which they lost 3–2. The FSF joined FIFA in 1962 and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1963.

Senegal's first time in the Africa Cup of Nations was in 1965. They finished fourth after losing to Ivory Coast. After another early exit in 1968, they did not qualify for the tournament again until 1986.

Success in the 1990s and 2000s

In the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal finished fourth. They hosted the 1992 tournament and reached the quarter-finals.

In 2002, Senegal lost the final to Cameroon in a penalty shootout. Later that year, Senegal played in their first ever World Cup. They famously beat the defending champions, France, in their first game. They then drew with Denmark and Uruguay to move past the group stage. They beat Sweden in extra time to reach the quarter-finals. This made them one of only four African teams to ever reach this stage. They lost to Turkey in extra time.

Senegal qualified for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations but did not make it past the group stage. They also failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The 2010s and Beyond

Senegal did not win any games in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

When their former coach, Bruno Metsu, passed away in 2013, many Senegalese players honored him. He was the coach who led them to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals.

Senegal almost made it to the 2014 FIFA World Cup but lost to Ivory Coast in the final qualifying round. They played in two more Africa Cup of Nations tournaments before the next World Cup. They were eliminated in the group stage in 2015 and reached the quarter-finals in 2017.

On November 10, 2017, Senegal beat South Africa 2–0. This win qualified them for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, their first since 2002. They beat Poland 2–1 in their first group match. They then drew 2–2 with Japan. However, a 1–0 loss to Colombia meant they were eliminated. Japan moved on because of a better fair play record.

Aliou Cissé, who played in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, coached Senegal to the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. They lost 1–0 to Algeria in the final, after also losing to them earlier in the tournament.

Recent Success in the 2020s

Despite many players being unavailable due to COVID-19, Senegal played in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (which was held in 2022). They won their first match against Zimbabwe 1–0 and drew their next two games. This was enough to win their group. In the next round, they faced Cape Verde and won.

Senegal then beat Equatorial Guinea 3–1 in the quarter-finals. They won against Burkina Faso 3–1 in the semi-finals. In the final, Senegal played Egypt. Sadio Mané scored the winning penalty in a shootout, giving Senegal their first Africa Cup of Nations title. The team returned home to a huge celebration in Dakar.

After the Africa Cup of Nations final, Senegal played Egypt again to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Senegal won on penalties once more, with Mané scoring the winning penalty against his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah. However, there were some issues during the penalty shootout, with lasers pointed at the Egyptian players. FIFA fined Senegal's football federation for this.

For the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Senegal was in Group A with Qatar, Ecuador, and the Netherlands. Even though their star player Mané was injured, Senegal still made it out of the group. They lost their first game to the Netherlands 2–0. But they earned six points by beating Qatar and Ecuador. They reached the Round of 16, where they lost 3–0 to England. This was the second time Senegal made it past the group stage in only three World Cup appearances.

On June 10, 2025, Senegal won 3–1 against England in a friendly match.

Team Kits

Puma has made Senegal's football kits since 2005, except for 2017. The home kit is usually white, and the away kit is green.

Supporters wearing the away kit

Kit providers	Period
None	1960–1980
Adidas	1980–2000
Erreà	2000–2001
Le Coq Sportif	2002–2004
Puma	2005–2016
Romai	2017
Puma	2018–present

Current Coaching Staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Pape Thiaw
Assistant Coach	Pape Ibrahim Ndiaye
Assistant Coach II	Alsény Thiam
Goalkeeping Coach	Boubacarr Mbodj
Team Coordinator	Mbaye Seck
Physical Trainer	Ousmane Thioub
Media Officer	Djibril Sarr
Technical Director	Karim Ndour
Team Doctor	Ismaïl Kébé

Coaching History Highlights

Aliou Cissé, who coached the team from 2015 to 2024, is seen as the most successful coach. He led the team to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and play in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He was also the team captain in the 2002 World Cup.

Bruno Metsu, coach from 2000 to 2002, led the team to the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations final and their first FIFA World Cup in 2002, where they reached the quarter-finals.

Many coaches have led the Senegal national football team over the years. Some of the most notable include:

• Bruno Metsu (2000–2002): He led Senegal to the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations final and their first World Cup quarter-finals.
• Aliou Cissé (2015–2024): He is considered the most successful coach. He led the team to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He also guided them to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Key Players

Current Team Squad

Here are the players who were called up for friendly matches in June 2025.

Player information is updated as of June 10, 2025.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Yehvann Diouf	(1999-11-16) 16 November 1999 (age 25)	1	0	Nice
16	1GK	Édouard Mendy	(1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 33)	44	0	Al-Ahli
23	1GK	Mory Diaw	(1993-06-22) 22 June 1993 (age 32)	2	0	Rodez
3	2DF	Kalidou Koulibaly	(1991-06-20) 20 June 1991 (age 34)	91	1	Al-Hilal
4	2DF	Abdoulaye Seck	(1992-06-04) 4 June 1992 (age 33)	14	2	Maccabi Haifa
14	2DF	Ismail Jakobs	(1999-08-17) 17 August 1999 (age 25)	22	0	Galatasaray
22	2DF	Abdou Diallo	(1996-05-04) 4 May 1996 (age 29)	33	2	Al-Arabi
24	2DF	Antoine Mendy	(2004-05-27) 27 May 2004 (age 21)	3	0	Nice
	2DF	Moussa Niakhaté	(1996-03-08) 8 March 1996 (age 29)	18	0	Lyon
2	3MF	Mamadou Camara	(2003-01-05) 5 January 2003 (age 22)	5	1	Nahdat Berkane
5	3MF	Idrissa Gueye	(1989-09-26) 26 September 1989 (age 35)	116	7	Everton
6	3MF	Habib Diarra	(2004-01-03) 3 January 2004 (age 21)	11	4	Sunderland
8	3MF	Lamine Camara	(2004-01-05) 5 January 2004 (age 21)	20	4	Monaco
17	3MF	Cheikh Niasse	(2000-01-19) 19 January 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Hellas Verona
18	3MF	Ismaïla Sarr	(1998-02-25) 25 February 1998 (age 27)	72	16	Crystal Palace
25	3MF	El Hadji Malick Diouf	(2004-12-28) 28 December 2004 (age 20)	6	0	West Ham United
26	3MF	Pape Gueye	(1999-01-24) 24 January 1999 (age 26)	28	2	Villarreal
	3MF	Pape Matar Sarr	(2002-09-14) 14 September 2002 (age 22)	31	2	Tottenham Hotspur
	3MF	Pathé Ciss	(1994-03-16) 16 March 1994 (age 31)	18	0	Rayo Vallecano
7	4FW	Nicolas Jackson	(2001-06-20) 20 June 2001 (age 24)	19	1	Chelsea
9	4FW	Boulaye Dia	(1996-11-16) 16 November 1996 (age 28)	34	6	Lazio
10	4FW	Cheikh Sabaly	(1999-03-04) 4 March 1999 (age 26)	4	1	Metz
12	4FW	Cherif Ndiaye	(1996-01-23) 23 January 1996 (age 29)	6	0	Red Star Belgrade
13	4FW	Iliman Ndiaye	(2000-03-06) 6 March 2000 (age 25)	27	2	Everton
15	4FW	Krépin Diatta	(1999-02-25) 25 February 1999 (age 26)	47	2	Monaco
20	4FW	Idrissa Gueye	(2006-09-16) 16 September 2006 (age 18)	1	0	Metz
21	4FW	Abdallah Sima	(2001-06-17) 17 June 2001 (age 24)	9	0	Brest

Most Games Played

Idrissa Gueye is Senegal's most capped player with 120 appearances.

These players have played the most games for Senegal:

• Idrissa Gueye (120 games)
• Sadio Mané (113 games)
• Henri Camara (99 games)
• Cheikhou Kouyaté (92 games)
• Kalidou Koulibaly (91 games)

Top Goal Scorers

Sadio Mané is Senegal's top scorer with 45 goals.

These players have scored the most goals for Senegal:

• Sadio Mané (45 goals)
• Henri Camara (29 goals)
• El Hadji Diouf (24 goals)
• Mamadou Niang (20 goals)
• Jules Bocandé (20 goals)

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup

Senegal has played in the FIFA World Cup three times: in 2002, 2018, and 2022. Their best result was reaching the quarter-finals in 2002.

Africa Cup of Nations

For a long time, Senegal was not one of the strongest teams in West Africa. They often finished in fourth place or were eliminated early. However, in the 2000s, Senegal became a much stronger team. After their great performance in the 2002 World Cup, they became a top team in Africa.

In the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, they lost in the final to Cameroon after a penalty shootout. They were also runners-up in 2019. Finally, in 2021, Senegal won their first Africa Cup of Nations title!

African Nations Championship

Senegal has also done well in the African Nations Championship, winning the title in 2022.

Amílcar Cabral Cup

Senegal has won the Amílcar Cabral Cup eight times, showing their strength in regional tournaments.

WAFU Nations Cup

Senegal won the WAFU Nations Cup in 2019. They were also runners-up twice, in 2010 and 2013.

Team Achievements

Awards

• FIFA Best Mover of the Year: 2002
• African National Team of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2007, 2022
• Africa Cup of Nations Fair Play Award: 2019, 2021

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Senegal para niños

• Senegal national under-20 football team
• Senegal national under-17 football team
• Football in Senegal