It's almost time for the World Cup. Before the tournament, we'll be previewing each of the top 15 teams by FIFA rankings that made the tournament. Why the top 15? Because that's how many we needed to do in order for the USMNT to make the cut. You can read all of our previews here.
The World Cup is too big and important to require its participants to seek any extra sources of motivation. You don't step onto the field of the planet's biggest sporting event with desires as petty as "proving the haters wrong" filling your head, because no hater can exceed the meaning of a World Cup. But if there is one team coming into this year's tournament that might be able to find some extra motivation elsewhere, it's Senegal.
Senegal enters the summer as reigning champions of Africa. Or, uh, kind of. Back in January, Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations final to become continental champs for the second time this decade, but the result itself is only a small piece of one of the strangest stories in soccer history.
Things started to go off the rails in stoppage time of the final against Morocco, when Senegal scored what looked to be the tournament-winning goal in the 92nd minute. That goal was ultimately waved off due to some light contact in the box being ruled as a foul on Senegal—maybe a soft call, but not some travesty of injustice. A few minutes later, Morocco got a corner kick, and Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf was called for a legitimate foul for throwing a Moroccan player to the ground. Morocco was awarded a penalty, and seemed to be moments away from winning the final.
That's when Senegalese manager Pape Thiaw called his team off the field, apparently in protest of the perceived Morocco-friendly refereeing. The game was halted for about 15 minutes while everyone—the referee, the Moroccan players, the fans in the stadium—stood around in confusion. Eventually, Senegal captain Sadio Mané went into the locker room and convinced his teammates who had left the field to come back out and finish the game. After all that waiting, Morocco's Brahim Diaz stepped up to the ball with a chance to win the cup, and proceeded to hit the most pathetic panenka you've ever seen in your life directly at the keeper. The game went into extra time tied at 0-0, and Senegal eventually won it on a beautiful strike from Pape Gueye. The whole thing was extremely silly, stupid, and sad.
But wait! An appeal board with the The Confederation of African Football ruled in March, three months after the final had been played, that the AFCON title actually belongs to Morocco, because Senegal's decision to leave the field while the game was still going on was an act of forfeit. The Senegalese Football Association has appealed the board's ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but who the hell knows when that case will be decided. So, for now, Senegal is heading into the World Cup as a team that just had a trophy "stolen" from them. There are haters aplenty! All waiting to be proven wrong!
Who Is Their Main Guy?
Damn it all to hell: Iliman Ndiaye is their main guy, and you can't stop me from saying so! Yes, Sadio Mané is still a key part of this team, and he remains one of the most decorated players in Senegal's history, but I am revoking his Main Guy status due to him being 34 years old and currently playing his club soccer in the sour anonymity of the Saudi Pro League.
Having dispensed with that harsh but necessary bit of business, I can now place the mantle of Main Guy upon Ndiaye, a longtime Defector favorite. Ndiaye is cool not just because he's a good attacking player, but because he goes about his business with a style that is becoming increasingly rare in top-flight soccer. In an era that is overloaded with dangerous wingers who all seem to have come off the same assembly line, preloaded with the same three or four dribbling moves meant to get the ball into dangerous areas, Ndiaye's unorthodox style stands out. This guy loves to dribble at people, and in a way that clearly relies on a sense of adventure and improvisation. The Premier League boasts plenty of attackers who are better and more efficient than Ndiaye, but few are more fun to watch.
Ndiaye owes his style, and the entertainment factor it brings, to his background. Rather than receiving the usual fine-tuning from one of the top academies, Ndiaye went from a Sunday league team called Rising Ballers to Boreham Wood, Sheffield United, Marseille, and now Everton, where he just put the finishing touches on the best season of his career. That's the career path of a player who is largely self-taught, and you can see the evidence of that every time Ndiaye does some weird-ass move you've never seen before while trying to dribble past two defenders.
Who Is Their Main Defending Guy?
This title has belonged to center back Kalidou Koulibaly for many years, but guess what? I'm kicking his ass to the curb, due to the fact that he too is 34 years old and currently slumming it Saudi Arabia. We care about young guys who play real soccer around here, dammit.
Into Koulibaly's place I am sliding 21-year-old left back El Hadji Malick Diouf. He's the kind of tall, athletic full back who can add all sorts of interesting dimensions to a team that knows how to deploy him properly, and he looks ready for the big stage. He made the leap from the Czech league to the Premier League in 2025, and became one of the few bright spots for West Ham during their relegation campaign. He started 32 games, notched five assists, and never really looked overwhelmed or out of place despite his youth and inexperience.
He'll also be extremely motivated to perform well at this tournament, because he'll be wanting to get himself transferred away from West Ham and back up to the Premier League as quickly as possible. A few good games this summer should get the bids rolling in.
Who Is Most Likely To Break Out?
I see now that my unkind attitude towards the more aged members of this team has come back to bite me, because Diouf would be an obvious candidate for this category. Curses!
No matter, I will simply press ahead and declare that 22-year-old midfielder Habib Diarra is the most likely player to break out. Diarra is already hot shit, having becoming a bonafide "young player to watch" thanks to a couple of excellent seasons at Strasbourg. His good showings in Ligue 1 led to an expensive transfer to Sunderland last summer, which at the time seemed like a risky move. Yes, a recently promoted Premier League side would offer a player like Diarra plenty of playing time against top competition, but that is also the sort of unpredictable situation in which a young player can end up drowning.
Not so. Things couldn't have gone better for Sunderland during their first season back in the Premier League. They finished seventh, and after healing up from an injury that cost him a few weeks in the first half of the season, Diarra was right in the middle of all the Black Cats' success. He should have plenty of opportunities to strut his stuff in Senegal's midfield this summer. Here's hoping that doesn't lead to him getting sold to Chelsea, never to be heard from again.
Who Is Most Likely To Eat Shit?
The only sensible choice is Pape Thiaw, who somehow remains this team's manager. Thiaw pulling his team off the field during the AFCON final was pure, uncut loser shit. That he eventually relented, returned the sideline, and then watched his team win 1-0 in extra time only underscores how pathetic his attempts to protest the match truly were. Everyone who has ever kicked or thrown a ball knows that the game isn't over until it's over, and that anyone who tries to pack up and go home before the final whistle is not only a coward, but someone who fundamentally doesn't know ball.
Thiaw's stewardship of the national team has not gotten any smoother since his disastrous performance at the AFCON final. Just last week, the team was delayed in making its trip from Senegal to the United States, at which point reports began to circulate that Thiaw had upended the itinerary by refusing to board the flight until his contract was renewed. This forced the Senegalese Football Federation to release a statement denying that Thiaw refused to board the plane. From The Athletic:
The FSF categorically denies the unfounded rumours suggesting that the national team manager refused to travel on grounds related to the renegotiation of his contract. Whilst legitimate contractual discussions are ongoing, they have had no impact on the team’s travel schedule.
These minor logistical setbacks in no way undermine the cohesion and determination of the players, the technical staff and the federation. The group remains fully united as the Lions approach the important fixtures awaiting them on American soil. The FSF will ensure that the calm atmosphere necessary for excellent preparation is maintained.
Now that's the type of thing that gets said about a team right before its manager eats shit.
How Can They Win It All?
It's easy: If Senegal is ever behind by a goal going into stoppage time, Thiaw can just pull his team off the field and demand that they be awarded a victory.
