2022 World Cup: Senegal's Squad and Team Profile

The World Cup 2022 in Qatar is upon us. Everything you need to know about current African champions Senegal, who have been drawn into Group A of the 2022 World Cup along with the Netherlands, Qatar and Ecuador.

Sports

2 min read

The New Arab Staff & Agencies

London

18 November, 2022

The Senegal team lines up ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification match between Egypt and Senegal at Cairo International Stadium on March 25, 2022 in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo by Mohamed Hossam/Getty Images)

SENEGAL

Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finalists in 2002
Other honours: African champions in 2022
FIFA ranking: 18
Main clubs: ASC Jaraaf, ASC Jeanne d'Arc, AS Douanes
How they qualified: Senegal defeated Egypt in a play-off
Coach: Aliou Cisse, 46, wants to atone for an agonising exit from the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Senegal lost out on a second-round place only because they accumulated more yellow cards than Japan. After losing as a player in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations final, he made amends by guiding his country to victory in Cameroon this year with a penalty shootout victory over Egypt at the end of a goalless final. Part of the Senegal team that reached the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals in South Korea, he was a midfielder at French and English clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain.
Key player: Captain Kalidou Koulibaly was born in France, but opted to represent the country where his parents were born. The 31-year-old centre-back played for French and Belgian outfits before beginning an eight-year stay with Napoli in 2014. He moved to Chelsea this year and teamed up with Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Koulibaly has been critical of African teams at the World Cup, saying they set their goals too low. "We must stop believing getting past the first round is a great achievement -- winning the World Cup is a great achievement."

Group Fixtures & Matches

November 21: Netherlands v Senegal
November 25: Qatar v Senegal
November 29: Ecuador v Senegal

🇸🇳 Senegal@FootballSenegal | #FIFAWorldCup (26/33) pic.twitter.com/jShRbtcS52
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 16, 2022

Senegal's World Cup 2022 squad

Goalkeepers: Seny Dieng (QPR/ENG), Alfred Gomis (Rennes/FRA), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea/ENG)

Defenders: Fode Ballo-Toure (AC Milan/ITA), Pape Cisse (Olympiakos/GRE), Abdou Diallo (RB Leipzig/GER), Ismail Jakobs (Monaco/FRA), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea/ENG), Formose Mendy (Amiens/FRA), Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis/ESP), Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Moustapha Name (Pafos/CYP)

Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye (Everton/ENG), Pape Gueye (Marseille/FRA), Mamadou Loum (Reading/ENG), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City/ENG), Pape Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Krepin Diatta (Monaco/FRA), Pathe CISS

Forwards: Boulaye Dia (Salernitana/ITA), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor/TUR), Bamba Dieng (Marseille/FRA), Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich/GER), Ismaila Sarr (Watford/ENG), Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye