Are Senegal the real AFCON favourites? | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Senegal have drawn less attention than Morocco at this AFCON, yet their squad is loaded and their aims match it. They face Botswana on Tuesday at 16:00. They are also France’s first opponents at the 2026 World Cup on 26 June.

The group still carries the sting of a last 16 exit to Côte d’Ivoire, 1-1 then 5-4 on penalties, after three group wins. That stalled momentum built since 2018, a 2019 final, the 2022 title and a World Cup last 16 in Doha, 0-3 to England. Aliou Cissé has gone, Pape Thiaw arrived in December 2024 without ripping up the plan.

With a ticket booked for next summer, 11 June to 19 July 2026, they have lost only once in eight, 0-2 to Brazil on 15 November. They beat England 3-1 away on 10 June. The rise blends strong academies and dual nationals.

Paris-born Ibrahim Mbaye, 18 in January, wants in. He follows Assane Diao of Como, 20, absent through injury, Strasbourg’s Mamadou Sarr, 20, and Habib Diarra, 21, now at Sunderland. Joseph Antoine Bell believes consistent results and a calm set-up attract youngsters who also talk across leagues.

Veterans have eased that integration. Kalidou Koulibaly, 34 with 97 caps, notes Édouard Mendy, 33 with 49, guiding Diao after a warm-up injury in 2019, then decisive in 2022 shootouts. Leadership from Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye, Mendy and Sadio Mané keeps a family feel.

For Roger Boli, Senegal look the most balanced and best placed to win, but AFCON often demands more. Recent champions have stumbled, Algeria in 2021 and Senegal themselves last time. Keeping expectations calm, Thiaw accepts favourite status but stresses winning the first game.

Source: L'Équipe