2026 World Cup: bonuses, accommodation, coach without a contract... behind the scenes of the Lions of Senegal

After their defeat against France (3-1) in their opening match at the 2026 World Cup, Senegal is working tirelessly to prepare for their match against Norway this Tuesday at 00h GMT. This is a crucial encounter for Pape Thiaw and his men, who must earn points and get back into the race for qualification for the round of 16, while the Norwegians already have three points.

And while the focus, confidence, and determination are present among the players and staff—especially after the high-level first 45 minutes delivered against France, which suggest that the team has major assets to break down Norway—the reality behind the scenes is much less rosy.

Unpaid bonuses and logistical shortcomings

Even if the group is united and focused on its sporting goal, a series of major dysfunctions and decisions dictated by the Senegalese Football Federation threaten to make the camp implode in the middle of the American tournament. While team life remains positive on the field, some grains of sand are jamming the works and could end up having serious consequences, or even definitively sap the morale of the squad.

The first open secret that the federation is trying to hush up concerns player bonuses. According to information from Sport News Africa, the bonuses promised to Senegal's internationals still have not been paid. This situation is all the more incomprehensible internally since the FSF has, for several months now, received massive prize money envelopes from CAN 2025 as well as bonuses linked to qualifying for this World Cup. Where did that money go and why have the bonuses still not been paid? These are questions that are beginning to seriously unsettle a locker room that was no longer used to dealing with this situation.

To this financial muddle is added a logistical deficiency that is causing frustration within the squad: accommodation. The hotel chosen by the officials to serve as the base camp in the United States is nowhere near the standard of a team at this level. Privately, several players are expressing their dismay at this austere setting, which is in stark contrast with the considerable resources deployed by this same FSF to house the team in absolutely excellent conditions in Tangier during CAN 2025.

Diminished catering, players ordering meals

To make matters worse, drastic cost-cutting measures have been imposed on the accompanying staff. The team chef, who had been sent for the entire last CAN to ensure the nutritional balance of the Lions, was simply not allowed to make the trip. This absence is directly felt at the table of the Lions. Faced with hotel catering considered mediocre and ill-suited to the demands of top-level sport, we have learned that some players regularly order food from outside to be able to eat properly.

These are serious shortcomings compared to the meticulous preparation and management seen at the CAN, raising the question as to whether it is the same logistics team that prepared the Lions’ base camp, or if major secret budget cuts have come into play. All the while, at the federation level, standards seem to be flexible. While the players endure subpar operational support, it has been noted that some members of the Federation are living lavishly. The latter have brought their families and personal entourages en masse to the United States, forming a large and costly delegation… entirely at the expense of the FSF. Special privileges and perks reminiscent of the management style of the previous federation office during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Pape Thiaw still without salary and without contract

Among all these concerns remains the most pressing of all: that of national coach Pape Thiaw, which could turn into a real legal time bomb. Before departing for the training camp in the US, it was publicly revealed that Pape Thiaw was owed five months’ salary and that his contract had expired, and the situation has not progressed one bit. Despite a solemn guarantee from the President of Senegal, who sought to be reassuring on this matter, the Federation is, as far as we know, still refusing to sign his new contract.

To justify this inaction, the federation claims that the urgency of important matches requires that this issue be dealt with later. Is this a cynical calculation to play for time and wait to see the Lions’ exact performance at this World Cup before deciding whether to renew Thiaw or let him go at low cost in case of elimination? As a result, it is a coach without a contract, with no legal basis, and deprived of his salary for nearly half a year who is currently sitting on the Senegal bench in the middle of the World Cup.

It is in this climate of extreme professional insecurity and institutional amateurism that Pape Thiaw must lead his squad and that the Lions must prepare for two crucial knockout matches. Far, very far from the calm environment and rigorous preparation that were key to Senegal’s success at CAN 2025.