Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has officially unveiled his squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the biggest headline being the sensational return of Sadio Mané to the Lions of Teranga.
Mané had announced his international retirement following the AFCON 2025 controversy, but the Al-Nassr forward has reversed that decision and will be part of Senegal’s squad for what could be the final World Cup of his storied career.
The 34-year-old has made 126 appearances for Senegal and remains the country’s all-time top scorer with 53 goals.
The Lions of Teranga have been drawn in Group I alongside France, Norway, and Iraq. They will begin their World Cup campaign on June 16, 2026, with a blockbuster clash against France at MetLife Stadium, before facing Norway on June 22 and rounding off the group stage against Iraq on June 26 in Canada.
The opening clash against France is expected to attract global attention, especially considering Senegal’s famous victory over the French side during the 2002 World Cup — the tournament in which the Lions of Teranga shocked the defending champions in the opening match and advanced all the way to the quarter-finals before a dramatic golden-goal defeat to Turkey.
Kalidou Koulibaly remains the defensive leader, while Édouard Mendy brings confidence and quality between the posts.
In midfield, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Pape Matar Sarr are expected to control the tempo, while Lamine Camara continues to emerge as one of Africa’s brightest midfield talents.
Idrissa Gana Gueye is the all-time leader in caps for Senegal with 131 appearances, while Koulibaly captains the side with 103 caps to his name.
Below is the full squad:
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Mory Diaw, Yehvann Diouf
Defenders: Ismail Jakobs, El Hadj Malick Diouf, Krépin Diatta, Antoine Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdoulaye Seck, Moussa Niakhaté, Moustapha Mbow, Ilay Camara, Mamadou Sarr
Midfielders: Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Villarreal CF), Lamine Camara (AS Monaco), Habib Diarra (Sunderland), Pathé Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur), Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Bayern Munich)
Forwards: Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Assane Diao (Como), Ibrahim Mbaye (PSG), Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea), Bamba Dieng (Lorient), Chérif Ndiaye (Samsunspor)