Another major international football tournament has ended in disappointment for Senegal, with the national federation confirming the dismissal of head coach Pape Thiaw just days after the Teranga Lions crashed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the knockout round.
Thiaw had held the senior team’s top coaching role since December 2024, and his tenure was marked by controversy long before the squad arrived in North America for this year’s World Cup. The campaign got off to a shaky start: the side suffered back-to-back defeats to France and Norway in their first two Group Stage matches, leaving them on the brink of elimination heading into the final group fixture against Iraq. In a stunning turnaround, Senegal routed Iraq 5-0 to climb into third place in their group, and claimed the final available spot among the highest-ranked third-place teams to advance to the round of 32.
What followed was a dramatic and heartbreaking exit against Belgium. Senegal held a commanding 2-0 lead late in regulation time, but allowed two late Belgium goals to force the match into extra time. A controversial penalty converted by Youri Tielemans sealed a 3-2 win for Belgium, knocking Senegal out of the tournament.
The fallout from the defeat was immediate. Key Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye publicly announced just hours after the loss that he would step away from international football, and would not return to the national side as long as Thiaw and the current coaching staff remained in charge.
After days of internal review, the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) announced Thiaw’s departure in a formal statement. The body said the decision came “after a thorough evaluation of the sporting results and prospects of the national team”, adding that the dismissal was made “in the best interests of Senegalese football”.
This World Cup exit is the second major setback for Senegalese football in 2026, and cements a period of turmoil that began earlier this year at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). In that tournament’s final against Morocco in January, Thiaw led his entire squad off the pitch in protest after Morocco was awarded a stoppage-time penalty. After a 17-minute delay, the team returned to the field; Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved, and Gueye scored an extra-time winner that appeared to give Senegal the title. But in March, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned the result, stripped Senegal of the title, and awarded the win to Morocco due to Thiaw’s walk-off protest. Senegal has since filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport to challenge the decision and reclaim the title.
Thiaw, a former Senegal international, was part of the country’s 2002 World Cup squad that reached the quarter-finals in one of the nation’s most famous tournament runs.