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<\/a><\/p>\nPublished On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
Former Arsenal and Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira has been named as the new national team football coach of Senegal, replacing Pape Thiaw.<\/p>\n
Vieira was born in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, but represented France on the international stage and in 1998 was part of the first French side to lift a World Cup.<\/p>\n
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The 50-year-old takes over from Thiaw, who led Senegal to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, which was subsequently stripped from them and handed to Morocco following a mid-game walk-off by Senegalese players and staff.<\/p>\n
Thiaw was heavily criticised<\/a> for his side\u2019s Round of 32 exit at the FIFA World Cup 2026, which was confirmed by a 3-2 defeat by Belgium, and was subsequently dismissed<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said in a social media post that Vieira\u2019s appointment is a \u201cstrategic move\u201d aiming to \u201cestablish a high-level technical set-up, in line with our country\u2019s sporting ambitions\u201d.<\/p>\n Vieira, who began his playing career in France at Cannes, enjoyed a successful spell in Serie A with AC Milan before he was brought to the Premier League with Arsenal by his fellow countryman, Arsene Wenger.<\/p>\n The combative midfielder won three Premier League titles with the London-based club in his spell between 1996 and 2005, before joining Juventus in Italy\u2019s Serie A and then signing for AC\u2019s rival Inter. He ended his playing days at Manchester City in 2011.<\/p>\n Alongside his World Cup success with France, Vieira was also part of the Euro 2000 winning side and earned more than 100 caps for his adopted country.<\/p>\n Vieira\u2019s coaching career began in Major League Soccer with New York City FC in 2016, before Nice brought him back to France in 2018.<\/p>\n After a two-year stint in the English Premier League with Crystal Palace, Vieira had one-year spells with Strasbourg and Genoa.<\/p>\n \u201cThe date of the official presentation and the next steps in [Vieira\u2019s] installation will be the subject of a \u200csubsequent announcement,\u201d the FSF statement on X added.<\/p>\n Senegal\u2019s next scheduled competitive fixtures will be in the 2027 AFCON Qualifiers during the upcoming FIFA international window from September 21 to October 6, 2026.<\/p>\n The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has yet to release the schedule for the groups, but Senegal have been pitted against Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n