2026 World Cup: Senegal sack Thiaw as manager

Pape Thiaw has been sacked as Senegal’s head coach, following their exit from the 2026 World Cup.

The Teranga Lions were eliminated by Belgium in the round of 32.

They had lost their opening two Group I fixtures to France and Norway, but a 5-0 thrashing of Iran saw the West Africans qualify as the lowest ranked of the best third-placed teams.

Against Belgium, Senegal went 2-0 up and with five minutes left, they conceded two late goals before losing 3-2 to a late penalty from Youri Tielemans at the end of extra-time.

The Senegal Football Federation, in a statement on Sunday, explained that the decision to fire Thiaw came after a thorough evaluation of the sporting results and prospects of the national team.

The statement read: “The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) informs the public that following the meeting of the Executive Committee held this Saturday July 11 2026, it was decided to initiate a procedure to terminate the functions of the national coach, Mr Pape Thiaw, as well as his entire technical staff.

“This decision comes after the elimination of the Senegal national team in the round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“After a thorough evaluation of the sporting results and prospects of the national team, the Executive Committee deemed it necessary to initiate this procedure in the best interests of Senegalese football.”