In the few years before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sadio Mané was on top of the footballing world. He won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018-19, finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or race while winning the title with Liverpool in 2019-20, and he won the African Footballer of the Year award in both 2019 and 2022, becoming the second Senegal player ever to win the award. But shortly before the tournament, he sustained a tendon injury in his knee and was forced to miss the tournament as the Lions of Teranga were eliminated in the Round of 16.

Now 34 and playing for Saudi outfit Al-Nassr, Mané will get another chance to represent his nation in what could be Senegal’s best-ever chance of bettering its quarterfinals appearance in 2002. On Thursday morning, Pape Thiaw named a preliminary roster of 28 men, 26 of whom will eventually represent the Lions of Teranga in this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. That roster was headlined by Mané.

Full Roster

Goalkeepers (3): Édouard Mendy (Al-Ahli), Mory Diaw (Le Havre), Yehvann Diouf (Nice)

Defenders (10): Krépin Diatta (Monaco), Antoine Mendy (Nice), Kalidou Koulibably (Al-Hilal), El Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham), Mamadou Sarr (Chelsea), Moussa Niakhité (Lyon), Moustapha Mbow (Paris FC), Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haifa), Ismaïle Jakobs (Galatasaray), Ilay Camara (Anderlecht)

Midfielders (7): Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Villarreal), Lamine Camara (Monaco), Habib Diarra (Sunderland), Pathé Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham), Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Gambinos Stars Africa)

Attackers (8): Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Assane Diao (Como), Ibrahim Mbaye (Paris Saint-Germain), Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Münich), Bamba Dieng (Lorient), Chérif Ndiaye (Samsunspor)

Analysis

Key Players

Senegal is merging an older golden generation with rising young talents with its preliminary roster. While the headliners include Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly (a long-time starter for Serie A outfit Napoli), and a former Champions League-winning goalkeeper in Édouard Mendy, the Lions of Teranga also feature some of the best rising young talents in Africa. That includes El Hadji Malick Diouf, who has five assists as an everyday starter for Premier League side West Ham, as well as Lamine Camara, who scored two goals as a defensive midfielder in his most recent start with Monaco. With Mané on the left, Iliman Ndiaye (an everyday starter for Everton) on the right, and Bayern backup striker Nicolas Jackson in the middle, arguably no team on the continent has a more dangerous or more well-rounded attack.

Key Omissions

There weren’t any major omissions from Senegal’s 28-man squad, as every player who appeared in at least four matches during its run to the Africa Cup of Nations final in January made the roster. Arguably the most notable name not on Thiaw’s list was Habib Diallo, a regular starter for Ligue 1 side Metz, but he hasn’t had a great season, scoring just four goals in 25 appearances and netting only once at AFCON. The snub makes some sense, given the Lions of Teranga’s depth in the attack (Ismaïla Sarr is a more versatile option who starts regularly for Crystal Palace) and Diallo’s relatively advanced age. Additionally, Cheikh Sabaly, who had 15 goals for Metz in Ligue 2 in 2024/25 and has two goals in 10 appearances for the MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps so far this season, lost out to Senegal’s more veteran attacking options.

Senegal World Cup 2026 Odds

The Lions of Teranga are +9000 to win the World Cup, +750 to win Group I — which also features France, Norway, and Iraq — and -230 to qualify for the knockout stages. They’ll open their tournament with a 3 p.m. ET match against Les Bleus on June 16th in New York/New Jersey, in which they are +600 underdogs to win and +350 to draw.

Senegal has qualified for the World Cup three times in its history, advancing out of the group stage twice and making the quarterfinals in 2002. It has never won its group, finishing second in both 2002 and 2022.