Teams · Group I
Senegal
Lions of Teranga
Senegal, winners of AFCON 2021, are among Africa's strongest sides, combining athletic power with players from Europe's elite clubs. They reached the quarterfinals on debut in 2002 and the round of 16 in 2022.
Senegal’s group path
Senegal starts in Group I with France, Norway, Iraq. They enter the group as the #2 team by MatchupSim power rating, which makes the finishing position especially important: first place, second place and a possible third-place route can each send them into a very different round-of-32 matchup.
Key facts
- Confederation
- Africa (CAF)
- Group
- Group I · power-ranked #2 of 4
- World Cup titles
- 0
- Best finish
- Quarterfinals (2002)
- Qualified via
- CAF qualifying
- Power rating (PWR)
- 79 · Elo 1820
- Manager
- Pape Thiaw
Players to watch
- Sadio Mané — Captain, forward
- Kalidou Koulibaly — Defender
- Ismaïla Sarr — Winger (Crystal Palace)
Group I opponents
Group-stage fixtures
- Tue, Jun 16
FranceNew York / New Jersey, USA - Tue, Jun 23
NorwayToronto, Canada - Fri, Jun 26
IraqToronto, Canada
2026 outlook
Senegal are tipped as the leading African contenders and will expect to advance from Group I.
Prediction angles to test
Start with a favorites run, then test one aggressive version where Senegal wins Group I and one conservative version where they finish lower in the table. Comparing those paths shows whether their best chance comes from group control, a softer runner-up route, or surviving as one of the best third-place teams.
Simulate Senegal’s World Cup
Think Senegal can go all the way — or crash out early? Set their Group I finish in the simulator and watch the bracket re-wire around your call, or build a full prediction all the way to the final.