Senegal's 2026 World Cup Squad: Mane, Koulibaly, and Jackson Head to MetLife for Two Group Stage Fixtures

By WorldCup.NYC Editorial — May 28, 2026

Senegal confirmed their final 26 on May 21. Sadio Mane leads the attack. Kalidou Koulibaly marshals the defense. Nicolas Jackson is the link to the Premier League elite. The Lions of Teranga play France on June 16 and Norway on June 22 — both at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Coach Pape Thiaw has named a 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that represents the full breadth of Senegalese football's current generation: the established veterans who have been a fixture of the national team for over a decade alongside a younger cohort now holding their own at the top of the European game. Senegal are in Group I alongside France, Norway, and Iraq — a group that, for fans in New York, offers two of the most anticipated matches of the entire tournament at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Senegal have a particularly deep connection to New York City. The West African Diaspora community centered around West 116th Street in Harlem — widely known as Little Senegal — is one of the largest Senegalese communities outside of Dakar. For thousands of New Yorkers, these two MetLife fixtures are not just World Cup games; they are home matches.

The Full Squad

Players to Watch

Sadio Mané

Mané remains the most recognizable face of Senegalese football globally. Now 34 and playing in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, he arrives at his third World Cup as the figurehead of a squad he helped drag to respectability in the 2010s. His goalscoring returns have declined from the heights of his Liverpool years, but his influence on the group — tactical, psychological, symbolic — remains irreplaceable. In a tournament this large and this fast, veteran leadership counts.

Nicolas Jackson

The Chelsea striker is the squad's most direct connection to the Premier League's elite tier, and at 23 he arrives at his first World Cup in the form of his career. Jackson scored 17 goals in all competitions for Chelsea this season and has developed into one of the more dangerous forwards in the English top flight. He is Senegal's primary striker at this tournament, and the MetLife fixtures against France and Norway will showcase him to one of the largest soccer audiences of his life.

Pape Matar Sarr

The Tottenham midfielder is 22, plays with a confidence that belies his age, and has become one of the more exciting central midfield prospects in European football. Alongside Lamine Camara — who had an exceptional season at Monaco — Senegal's midfield is genuinely capable of disrupting the rhythm of France and Norway, both of whom expect to advance comfortably from this group.

The Group I Picture

France are the favorites to top Group I and are one of the pre-tournament front-runners for the title overall. Norway, powered by Erling Haaland, will expect to qualify. For Senegal, the path through the group is narrow but not closed: both MetLife fixtures are winnable on a given day, and advancement as one of the eight best third-place teams remains realistic if results go against them in head-to-head play.

For New York supporters, the group stage draw could not have produced a better outcome. France vs. Senegal on June 16 is a rematch of one of the most charged fixtures in World Cup history — the 2002 opener in which Senegal eliminated the defending champions. Norway vs. Senegal on June 22 features two of the most interesting squads in the tournament. Both games are at New York New Jersey Stadium, minutes from Midtown Manhattan.

Senegal's Group I Schedule at MetLife

For more on getting to MetLife for match day, see our full transit and logistics guide. For accommodation near both the stadium and Manhattan, see where to stay.