Senegal — 2026 World Cup Squad

Group I has a brutal centre of gravity in Erling Haaland's Norway, which means the Lions of Teranga are effectively in a scrap for second with Iraq the side they'll back themselves to put away. Few squads at this tournament are as physically imposing through the spine, and Aliou Cissé's old blueprint still lingers: sit compact, win the ball through Pape Gueye and Idrissa Gana Gueye, then break at pace.

That counter lives or dies on the flanks. Sadio Mané, now at Al-Nassr, remains the heartbeat and the man who pulls defences out of shape, with Ismaïla Sarr's directness from Crystal Palace stretching the grass behind. At the back, Kalidou Koulibaly anchors a rugged unit from Al-Hilal, screening an Édouard Mendy who, on his Chelsea-era nights, can win a tie on his own. Lamine Camara of Monaco is the bridge — a tidy, ball-carrying midfielder who hands the veterans a successor.

The real subplot is generational handover. Mané and Koulibaly are chasing one last deep run before the baton passes fully to Camara and Pape Matar Sarr, and an African champion's reputation rides on getting the balance right.