Senegal sits on the brink of group-stage elimination after losing its first two World Cup matches, falling 3-1 to France and 3-2 to Norway — both fixtures at MetLife Stadium, according to the report.
The Teranga Lions had displayed their AFCON winners’ medals at the Stade de France ahead of a March friendly against Peru, even after the Confederation of African Football stripped the side of the title following a controversial final against Morocco in Rabat in January, the report said. Coach Pape Thiaw and his players appeared defiant following the ruling.
This Senegal generation has reached three of the last four AFCON finals, winning two, and has qualified for three consecutive World Cups for the first time in the nation’s history, according to the report. Previous World Cup runs include a 2018 exit decided on a fair-play tiebreaker and a Last 16 appearance in 2022.
Historically, reigning African champions have struggled to reproduce continental form at the World Cup. Only three instances — Nigeria in 1994, Nigeria in 2014 and Senegal in 2022 — saw reigning AFCON winners advance past the group stage, the report notes. Cameroon, 1988 winners, reached the 1990 quarterfinals but had been dethroned by Algeria by that tournament.
The tournament in the United States is being played with an expanded field and knockouts extended to 32 teams, and the eight best third-placed teams can still progress, according to the report. A victory against Iraq in Senegal’s final group match would likely put the team back into contention, but a minus-three goal difference leaves little margin for error.
Thiaw told reporters on Sunday that off-field issues — unpaid bonuses, substandard catering and the head coach’s unsigned contract — would not affect performance against Norway, the report said. The coach also started captain Kalidou Koulibaly despite an impact injury; Koulibaly had not played for Al-Hilal since early April, received two red cards at the Nations Cup and missed the AFCON final through suspension, and he partnered Moussa Niakhaté in both group games.
