Senegal, one of Brazil’s opponents on this FIFA Date, has a squad full of great players who are successful in international football and is coming off a good performance in the African Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The team is even qualified to compete in next year’s World Cup, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The confirmation of the place came after a 4-0 defeat of Mauritania, a result that guaranteed the leadership of Group B of the CAF Qualifiers.
On that occasion, the highlight of the match was Sadio Mané, who scored two goals and led the team to its fourth participation in the main national team competition in world football.
In addition to their offensive strength, Senegal also showed defensive consistency, finishing the phase undefeated, with only three goals conceded in ten matches. With the ultimate victory, the Senegalese reached 24 points, one ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who will need to compete in the FIFA Qualifying Tournament.
The premature classification also demonstrates the success of coach Pape Thiaw’s work, who managed to renew the team while maintaining its competitive essence.
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Senegal’s World Cup performance
All four times that Senegal won a place in the World Cup were this century. In the 2026 World Cup, the Lions of Teranga hope to at least equal the feat of 2002, when they reached the quarter-finals in their debut, defeating then-champions France.
Since then, Senegal has consolidated itself with notable participation in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
In 2018, under the command of Aliou Cissé, the team ended up eliminated in the group stage. Four years later, now more experienced, he returned to the tournament and advanced to the round of 16, even without Sadio Mané, who was injured at the time. The campaign ended with a 3-0 defeat to England.
Senegal in FIFA World Cups
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First classification: 2002
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Participations: 4 (2002, 2018, 2022, 2026)
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Best result: Quarterfinals (2002)
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