Senegal has sacked manager Pape Tiao following their disappointing defeat at the 2026 World Cup. The African team was heading in the right direction with two goals in the embers against Belgium in the last 32, but they threw away the advantage and were thrown out of the competition in extra time.
Senegal was drawn into a tough group early in the tournament with France, Norway and Iraq as their opponents. They lost to both France and Norway, but defeated Iraq in their final group match and qualified for the round of 32 as one of the third-placed teams.
Senegal were in good form before the collapse against Belgium, but things looked tough after the Red Devils were awarded a soft penalty in the 120+5 minute. This was the difference between the two teams and Belgium advanced to the last 16, but Senegal was forced to lick their wounds.
According to L’Equipe, Thiau, who led Senegal to the AFCON final earlier this year, has been sacked and Patrick Vieira has been named as a potential replacement. Vieira, who represents France at international level, was born in Dakar and moved to Europe at the age of eight.
“After a thorough evaluation of the national team’s sporting performance and prospects, the executive committee has decided that it is necessary to initiate this procedure in the best interests of Senegalese football,” the Senegalese Football Association said in a statement. It added that a press conference will then be held on Friday to explain the reasons.
Vieira boasts managerial experience having managed Crystal Palace, Genoa and New York City FC. He has been out of work since 2025 and appeared as a pundit during the ongoing 2026 World Cup.
If Vieira takes over, one of the first things that will arrive in his inbox will be to fix the dressing room, which was in danger of falling apart after Thiau’s departure. There were reports of behind-the-scenes problems, including suggestions that Thiau had not been given a new contract and had not been paid by the federation since February.
The next big competition for the African side is AFCON in 2027, which will be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. All eyes will then turn to qualifying for the 2030 World Cup, with Morocco, Spain and Portugal the main co-hosts, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each scheduled to play one match at the start of the tournament.
