Senegal fire Pape Thiaw after disappointing World Cup campaign
The Senegal Football Federation has reportedly sacked head coach Pape Thiaw following the underwhelming performance put up by the Teranga Lions at the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
The decision to fire Thiaw and his entire backroom staff was decided on Saturday during an emergency committee meeting in the capital Dakar.
The Senegalese FA specified that it had “reviewed all reports related to the participation of Senegal at the World Cup” and that “all issues related to this campaign have been taken into account and evaluated”.
“After this thorough analysis of the results and future prospects, the Committee considered it essential to make a decision “in the best interests of Senegalese football”.
Read Also: Scaloni says Argentina ‘suffered’ in Swiss victory
Senegal lost their first two group games against France and Norway and raised hopes following an emphatic 5-0 victory over hapless Iraq before a dramatic exit in the Round of 32.
Following the exit, internal tensions boiled over. Midfielder Pape Gueye publicly announced a break from the national team, stating he would not play for Senegal again as long as Thiaw and his technical setup remained in charge.
The sacking of Thiaw, a former international ends his tenure as head coach of the Senegalese national team less than two years after taking over from Aliou Cissé in 2024.
The Senegalese FA has now initiated a search for a new coach to handle the Teranga Lions paving the way for a technical reset with reports suggesting that former France international Patrick Vieira has already emerged as a primary candidate to take over from Pape Thiaw.
