AFCON 2025: All you need to know about Senegal.
Did you know that regardless of their recent dominance of football on the continent, Senegal has only ever won the AFCON once?. One week before AFCON 2025, we continue the historical overview of qualified teams. Today, let’s focus on Senegal, a huge favorite alongside Morocco. The selection led by Pape Thiaw has evident arguments to go and win a 2nd star.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
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The country
Capital: Dakar
Area: 196,722 km 2
Population: 18.5 million inhabitants
Official language: French
Inhabitants: Senegalese/ Senegalese
Motto: One people, one goal, one faith
Nickname of the team: the Lions of Senegal
Senegal and the AFCON
Title (s): 1
Finals: 3
Participation in the AFCON before 2025: 17
Host country: 1 (1992)
Course at the AFCON
1965: 1⁄2 final
1968: 1st round
1986: 1st round
1990: 1⁄2 final
1992: 1⁄4 of final
1994: 1⁄4 of final
2000: 1⁄4 of final
2002: final
2004: 1⁄4 of final
2006: 1⁄2 final
2008: 1st round
2012: 1st round
2015: 1st round
2017: 1⁄4 of final
2019: final
2021: Champion
2023: 1/8th finals
Senegal and the AFCON
69 Matches played
30 Victories
18 Draws
21 Defeats
87 goals scored
58 goals conceded
Sadio Mané, The star among the stars
The Senegalese group is a perfect blend of experience and youth, with Kalidou Koulibaly, Gana Gueye, Edouard Mendy, to guide young people such as Iliman Ndiaye, Assane Diao, Nicolas Jackson among others. But in this exceptional batch of talents, a star shines brighter than others: Sadio Mané. The Al Nassr player is the undisputed star of this team, and his pedigree speaks for him. In addition to being the 2nd most capped player in the history of the Lions (117 caps) behind his friend and partner Gana Gueye (121), Mané is the top scorer with 52 goals, but also the best passer with 26 offerings.
In addition, he is the Senegalese with the most games played in AFCON (22), tied with Idrissa Gana Gueye. Sadio Mané is also the best Senegalese goalscorer in the history of the AFCON with 9 goals. As many numbers as the former Liverpool player could improve in order to obtain a 2nd star with his nation after the one acquired on February 6, 2022, in Cameroon. This edition in Morocco also has a special touch for Sadio Mané who is expected to compete in his last continental showpiece.
Pape Thiaw, the troop leader
By succeeding Aliou Cissé first as a temporary worker in October 2024, before his confirmation a few weeks later, Pape Thiaw was considered inexperienced for the job by some. But it is clear that he indeed has the stature to guide this plethora of talents towards African summits. His record is also laudatory. In 12 matches, he counts 9 wins, 2 draws, for only 1 defeat. It was last November against Brazil in a friendly (0-2). His team has scored 27 goals since his arrival, for only 6 conceded.
Winner of the CHAN in 2022, Pape Thiaw will play his 1st AFCON as a coach, after having played it in 2002 as a player, and in 2023 as an assistant to Aliou Cissé. Either ways he feels ready.
“This is going to be my first AFCON on the bench. I wish to do something for my country as I did at CHAN. I have already experienced the AFCON behind a coach who won it and I learned a lot. I wanted to congratulate him for bringing us the first star. It’s up to us to go find the second star even if we know that it won’t be easy. We are part of the favorites and we will not hide",
he said this Saturday, December 13 during the publication of his list.
His team will face Botswana, DR Congo and Benin respectively.