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Senegal national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Senegal women's national football team.
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Senegal
Shirt badge/Association crest
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 (caretaker)
Captain Kalidou Koulibaly
Most caps Idrissa Gueye (119)
Top scorer Sadio Mané (46)
Home stadium Diamniadio Olympic Stadium
FIFA code SEN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 24 Decrease 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 17 (Feb–April 2024)
Lowest 99 (June 2013)
Elo ranking
Current 31 Decrease 4 (3 March 2019)
Highest 21 (June 2002)
Lowest 105 (October 1994)
First international
Pre-independence:
 British Gambia 1–2 French Senegal Flag of Senegal (1958–1959).svg
(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 17 (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, also known as Les Lions de la Teranga (meaning The Lions of Teranga), represents Senegal in international football. The team is managed by the Senegalese Football Federation.

Senegal is one of Africa's most famous national football teams. They made it to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This made them the second African team to reach this stage, after Cameroon in 1990. They surprised the world by beating the defending champions France. They also finished second in their group and won against Sweden in extra time. They eventually lost to Turkey in the quarter-finals.

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. They were also runners-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.

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

Team History: Senegal's Football Journey

Early Days of Senegalese Football

Senegal became independent from France on April 4, 1960. The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) was created that same year. Senegal's first football 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 playing in the Africa Cup of Nations was in 1965. They finished second in their group and ended up in fourth place 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, where they reached the quarter-finals but were knocked out by Cameroon.

In 2002, Senegal lost the final to Cameroon in a penalty shootout. Later that year, Senegal played in their first ever World Cup. They surprised everyone by beating the defending champions France in their first game. They then drew with Denmark and Uruguay to move past the group stage. In the round of 16, they beat Sweden in extra time to reach the quarter-finals. They were only the second African team to do so at that time. They eventually 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: Ups and Downs

Senegal had a tough time in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, losing all their games.

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

Senegal almost made it to the 2014 FIFA World Cup but lost to Ivory Coast in the final qualification 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 qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after beating South Africa. This was their first World Cup since 2002. They won their first group match against Poland 2–1. They then drew 2–2 with Japan. However, a 1–0 loss to Colombia meant they were eliminated from the group stage.

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 Triumphs in the 2020s

Even with many players out 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, finishing first in their group. In the round of 16, they beat Cape Verde.

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

After the AFCON final, Senegal played Egypt twice more to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They won again on penalties, with Mané scoring the winning penalty against his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah.

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 then 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 had passed the group stage in only three World Cup appearances.

Team Kits and Sponsors

Puma has been making Senegal's football kits since 2004, except for 2017 when Romai was the manufacturer. The home kit is usually white, and the away kit is green.

La victoire sénégalaise
Supporters wearing the away kit
Kit providers Period
None 1962-1980
Germany Adidas 1980–2000
Italy Erreà 2000–2002
France Le Coq Sportif 2002–2004
Germany Puma 2004–2016
United Arab Emirates Romai 2017
Germany Puma 2018–present

Recent Match Results

Main article: Senegal national football team results (2020–present)

Here are some of Senegal's recent match results from the last year.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

2024 Matches

Coaching Staff

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

Coaching History: Key Figures

Aliou Cissé 2018
Aliou Cisse, the current coach of the national team since 2015, is considered the most successful coach in the team's history, leading the team to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and to participate in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He was the captain of the team that reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Bruno Metsu 2012
Bruno Metsu, coach of the national team between 2000 and 2002, led the team to the final of the 2002 African Nations Cup and to participate for the first time in the FIFA World Cup in 2002, where it reached the quarter-finals.

The Senegal national team has had many coaches over the years. Some have led the team to great success.

  • Bruno Metsu (2000–2002): He led Senegal to the final of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations. He also coached them in their first-ever FIFA World Cup in 2002, where they reached the quarter-finals.
  • Aliou Cissé (2015–2024): As a former captain of the 2002 World Cup team, Cissé became the most successful coach in Senegal's history. He led the team to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He also coached them in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Current Players: Meet the Squad

The Team Today

The following players were chosen for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches in October 2024.

Player information is updated as of September 9, 2024, after the match against  Burundi.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Seny Dieng (1994-11-23) 23 November 1994 (age 30) 7 0 England Middlesbrough
1GK Mory Diaw (1993-06-22) 22 June 1993 (age 32) 3 0 France Clermont
1GK Cheikh Lô Ndoye (1992-09-21) 21 September 1992 (age 32) 1 0 Senegal Jaraaf
2DF Kalidou Koulibaly (captain) (1991-06-20) 20 June 1991 (age 34) 85 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
2DF Abdou Diallo (1996-05-04) 4 May 1996 (age 29) 32 2 Qatar Al-Arabi
2DF Ismail Jakobs (1999-08-17) 17 August 1999 (age 25) 21 0 France Monaco
2DF Abdoulaye Seck (1992-06-04) 4 June 1992 (age 33) 15 2 Israel Maccabi Haifa
2DF Moussa Niakhaté (1996-03-08) 8 March 1996 (age 29) 13 0 England Nottingham Forest
2DF Formose Mendy (2001-01-02) 2 January 2001 (age 24) 9 1 France Lorient
2DF El Hadji Malick Diouf (2004-12-28) 28 December 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Czech Republic Slavia Prague
2DF Seydou Sano (2004-10-28) 28 October 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Qatar Al-Gharafa
3MF Idrissa Gueye (1989-09-26) 26 September 1989 (age 35) 115 7 England Everton
3MF Nampalys Mendy (1992-06-23) 23 June 1992 (age 33) 33 0 France Lens
3MF Pape Matar Sarr (2002-09-14) 14 September 2002 (age 22) 26 1 England Tottenham Hotspur
3MF Lamine Camara (2004-01-05) 5 January 2004 (age 21) 25 6 France Monaco
3MF Pape Gueye (1999-01-24) 24 January 1999 (age 26) 24 1 France Marseille
3MF Pathé Ciss (1994-03-16) 16 March 1994 (age 31) 17 0 Spain Rayo Vallecano
3MF Habib Diarra (2004-01-03) 3 January 2004 (age 21) 5 0 France Strasbourg
4FW Sadio Mané (1992-04-10) 10 April 1992 (age 33) 109 44 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
4FW Ismaïla Sarr (1998-02-25) 25 February 1998 (age 27) 66 14 England Crystal Palace
4FW Habib Diallo (1995-06-18) 18 June 1995 (age 30) 32 7 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
4FW Boulaye Dia (1996-11-16) 16 November 1996 (age 28) 28 6 Italy Lazio
4FW Iliman Ndiaye (2000-03-06) 6 March 2000 (age 25) 22 2 England Everton
4FW Nicolas Jackson (2001-06-20) 20 June 2001 (age 24) 16 0 England Chelsea
4FW Abdallah Sima (2001-06-17) 17 June 2001 (age 24) 8 0 Scotland Rangers
4FW Cherif Ndiaye (1996-01-23) 23 January 1996 (age 29) 2 0 Serbia Red Star Belgrade

Other Players Called Up Recently

The following players have also been called up for Senegal in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Édouard Mendy (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 33) 40 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli v.  Burundi, 9 September 2024
GK Alfred Gomis (1994-11-23) 23 November 1994 (age 30) 16 0 Italy Palermo 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Mikayil Faye (2004-07-14) 14 July 2004 (age 20) 1 1 France Rennes v.  Burundi, 9 September 2024
DF Arouna Sangante (2002-04-12) 12 April 2002 (age 23) 0 0 France Le Havre v.  Mauritania, 9 June 2024
DF Fodé Ballo-Touré (1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 28) 16 0 Italy AC Milan v.  Benin, 26 March 2024
MF Dion Lopy (2002-02-02) 2 February 2002 (age 23) 5 0 Spain Almería v.  Mauritania, 9 June 2024
MF Cheikhou Kouyaté (1989-12-21) 21 December 1989 (age 35) 92 4 England Nottingham Forest v.  Benin, 26 March 2024
MF Mamadou Lamine Camara (2003-01-05) 5 January 2003 (age 22) 1 1 Morocco Nahdat Berkane v.  Benin, 26 March 2024
FW Bamba Dieng (2000-03-23) 23 March 2000 (age 25) 20 2 France Lorient v.  Benin, 26 March 2024
FW Amara Diouf (2008-06-07) 7 June 2008 (age 17) 2 0 Senegal Génération Foot v.  Benin, 26 March 2024

Player Records: Top Performers

Players in bold are still active with Senegal and might add to their records!

Most Appearances

Idrissa Gueye (cropped)
Idrissa Gueye is Senegal's most capped player with 117 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Idrissa Gueye 119 7 2011–present
2 Sadio Mané 113 46 2012–present
3 Henri Camara 99 29 1999–2008
4 Cheikhou Kouyaté 92 4 2012–present
5 Kalidou Koulibaly 89 1 2015–present

Top Goalscorers

Sadio Mané Senegal
Sadio Mané is Senegal's top scorer with 46 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Sadio Mané (list) 46 113 0.41 2012–present
2 Henri Camara 29 99 0.29 1999–2008
3 El Hadji Diouf 24 70 0.34 2000–2008
4 Mamadou Niang 20 54 0.37 2002–2012
Jules Bocandé 20 73 0.27 1979–1993

Tournament Records: How Senegal Performed

FIFA World Cup Appearances

Main article: Senegal at the FIFA World Cup

Senegal has played in the FIFA World Cup three times. They reached the quarter-finals in 2002, and also played in 2018 and 2022.

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Part of  France Part of  France
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Chile 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
England 1966 Withdrew Withdrew
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 3 1 0 2 2 4
West Germany 1974 2 0 1 1 1 2
Argentina 1978 2 0 1 1 1 2
Spain 1982 2 0 1 1 0 1
Mexico 1986 2 1 0 1 1 1
Italy 1990 Did not enter Declined participation
United States 1994 Did not qualify 8 3 1 4 11 12
France 1998 2 0 1 1 2 3
South Korea Japan 2002 Quarter-finals 7th 5 2 2 1 7 6 Squad 10 5 4 1 16 3
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 10 6 3 1 21 8
South Africa 2010 6 2 3 1 9 7
Brazil 2014 8 3 4 1 11 8
Russia 2018 Group stage 17th 3 1 1 1 4 4 Squad 8 5 3 0 15 5
Qatar 2022 Round of 16 10th 4 2 0 2 5 7 Squad 8 6 1 1 16 5
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 2 2 0 6 1
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Quarter-finals 3/15 12 5 3 4 16 17 — 74 33 24 16 112 62

Africa Cup of Nations History

Main article: Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations

For a long time, Senegal was not seen as a very strong team in West Africa. Even though they finished fourth in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, their overall performance was not great. They were often overshadowed by teams like Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Ghana.

In the 2000s, Senegal started to get much better and became a strong competitor. After their amazing performance in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Senegal became a new football powerhouse in Africa. In the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, they lost to Cameroon in a penalty shootout in the final. Senegal finished as runners-up again in 2019, losing the final 0–1 to Algeria. Finally, they won their first Africa Cup of Nations title in 2021!

Africa Cup of Nations record Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Part of  France Part of  France
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965 Fourth place 4th 3 1 1 1 5 2 Squad 4 3 0 1 8 4
Ethiopia 1968 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 5 5 Squad 4 2 1 1 9 4
Sudan 1970 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 5 4
Cameroon 1972 2 0 1 1 1 0
Egypt 1974 2 0 1 1 3 3
Ethiopia 1976 2 0 1 1 5 2
Ghana 1978 4 2 0 2 6 4
Nigeria 1980 Did not enter Did not enter
Libya 1982 Did not qualify 4 1 0 2 4 2
Ivory Coast 1984 4 2 1 0 3 2
Egypt 1986 Group stage 5th 3 2 0 1 3 1 Squad 4 4 0 0 5 2
Morocco 1988 Did not qualify 4 1 3 0 4 0
Algeria 1990 Fourth place 4th 5 1 2 2 3 3 Squad 2 1 1 0 4 1
Senegal 1992 Quarter-finals 5th 3 1 0 2 4 3 Squad Qualified as hosts
Tunisia 1994 Quarter-finals 8th 3 1 0 2 2 3 Squad 6 2 1 3 8 9
South Africa 1996 Did not qualify 8 3 3 2 10 8
Burkina Faso 1998 6 2 2 2 5 6
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 1 2 6 6 Squad 4 1 2 1 4 4
Mali 2002 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 2 0 6 1 Squad 4 1 2 1 4 2
Tunisia 2004 Quarter-finals 6th 4 1 2 1 4 2 Squad 6 3 0 1 7 1
Egypt 2006 Fourth place 4th 6 2 0 4 7 8 Squad 10 6 3 1 21 8
Ghana 2008 Group stage 12th 3 0 2 1 4 6 Squad 6 3 2 1 12 3
Angola 2010 Did not qualify 6 2 3 1 9 7
Gabon Equatorial Guinea 2012 Group stage 13th 3 0 0 3 3 6 Squad 6 5 1 0 16 2
South Africa 2013 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 6
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 3 4 Squad 6 4 1 1 8 1
Gabon 2017 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 2 0 6 2 Squad 6 6 0 0 13 2
Egypt 2019 Runners-up 2nd 7 5 0 2 8 2 Squad 6 5 1 0 12 2
Cameroon 2021 Champions 1st 7 4 3 0 9 2 Squad 6 4 2 0 10 2
Ivory Coast 2023 Round of 16 9th 4 3 1 0 9 2 Squad 6 4 2 0 12 4
Morocco 2025 Qualified 5 4 1 0 8 1
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
2029
Total 1 Title 17/34 71 30 18 23 87 58 — 144 67 31 26 210 96

African Nations Championship Record

African Nations Championship record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
Ivory Coast 2009 Fourth place 4th 5 1 3 1 3 3 Squad
Sudan 2011 Group stage 10th 3 1 1 1 2 2 Squad
South Africa 2014 Did not qualify
Rwanda 2016
Morocco 2018
Cameroon 2020
Algeria 2022 Champions 1st 6 4 1 1 6 1 Squad
Total Champions 3/7 14 6 5 3 11 6 —

Team Achievements and Honours

Awards

  • African National Team of the Year
    • 1 First place: 2001, 2002, 2007, 2022
    • 2 Second place: 2019

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Senegal para niños

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