Iliman Ndiaye, Nicholas Jackson and Ismaila Sarr are also important additions to Mane on Senegal’s World Cup front.
Published May 21, 2026
Senegal’s Sadio Mane, a key member of Pape Tiao’s 28-man World Cup squad as an influential forward, is looking to make up for time lost after missing the tournament four years ago due to injury.
It was announced on Thursday that Thiau will have to cut his squad by two players ahead of a deadline at the end of this month.
Mane’s combination of in-squad experience and youthful athleticism has kept him a key player in Senegal’s star-studded lineup, likely the strongest of the 10 African qualifiers in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The 34-year-old is Senegal’s all-time top scorer with 53 goals in 126 appearances.
Al Nasr’s Mane is likely to lead the line, but Bayern Munich forward Nicholas Jackson, as well as Everton’s Iliman Ndiayi and Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr, have also been selected.
Bayern’s 18-year-old midfielder Bala Ndiaye has also been called up, but there is no place for Malang Sarr, who starred for Lens this season.
Fellow Everton player Idrissa Gay is included despite missing the final stages of the season due to injury, while Sunderland’s Khabib Diarra and Tottenham Hotspur’s Pape Matar Sarr are also options in midfield.
Experienced centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly was selected along with goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Senegal were the best team at the recent African Cup of Nations in Morocco, defeating the hosts 1-0 in a controversial final that was later awarded to the North Africans, with the matter heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Senegal, who were drawn in Group I at the World Cup, will play their opening game against France in New Jersey on June 16th, which will be a repeat of the famous 2002 World Cup match in which the African side came out on top against the then-holders.
They will play Norway on June 22nd at the same venue and Iraq on June 26th in Toronto.
Senegal reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2002, but lost to Tolkier, their best result to date. For the so-called ‘golden generation’ of players, including Mane, this is perhaps the last chance to improve.
They were eliminated from the group stage in the round of 16 at the Qatar tournament four years ago, as a result of the lottery at the 2018 Russia tournament.
Senegal World Cup 2026 National Team
Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy, Yévan Diouf, Molly Diaw
Defenders: Crepin Diatta, Antoine Mendy, Abdoulaye Sek, Kalidou Koulibaly, Eli Kamara, Moussa Niahate, Mamadou Sarr, El-Hajj Malik Diouf, Mustafa Mbou, Ismail Jacobs.
Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye, Habib Diarra, Pape Matar Sarr, Pape Gueye, Ramin Kamara, Pate Sis, Bala Ndiaye
Forwards: Sadio Mane, Bamba Dieng, Iliman Ndiayi, Nicholas Jackson, Ahsan Diao, Ibrahim Mbaye, Sherif Ndiayi, Ismaila Sarr.
