Senegal national football team's qualification for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 brings back memories of their participation in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea & Japan, where they beat champions France and reached the quarterfinals of the competition.
Twenty years have passed since that glowing participation, and now the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will present a similar opportunity to a new generation of Senegalese stars to make history, especially following the disappointment in 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Senegal, which plays in Group A with Qatar, Ecuador and the Netherlands, is relying on a group of players playing in the best European clubs.
Notwithstanding the difficult mission of Senegal national football team in group A, however, the team will play in the World Cup without pressure, because it has won the African Cup of nations.
However, the ambitions of Senegal, which includes in its squad many prominent players in the largest European clubs, will have no limits in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in pursuit of achieving the best possible results. The hope will be to go one further than in World Cup 2002 and reach the semi-finals, a feat no African team has ever achieved.
Ranked 18 on FIFA rankings globally, Senegal aspires to reproduce their form of 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea & Japan, as Senegal national football team embarks on a campaign in group A by facing Netherlands on Nov 21 at Al Thumama Stadium, prior to meeting hosts Qatar on Nov 25 at the same stadium. The Senegalese team will then meet Ecuador in their final match on Nov 29 at Khalifa International Stadium.
The Senegalese Football Federation chose Duhail Sports Hall as the accommodation venue for the squad and shall conduct training drills at Al-Duhail Sports Club / Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium The flair of the Senegalese national football team this year came after winning its first African Cup of Nations title for the first time in history, then qualified for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the expense of Egypt in the playoffs on penalties, thanks to a line-up that includes outstanding footballers like Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, Saliou Ciss and Idrissa Gueye. It is the best crop of Senegalese players since the generation of El Hadji Diouf, Henri Camara and Khalilou Fadiga shone in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The team will be hoping the experience of big players like Sadio Mane in Europe will help them replicate the success of 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea & Japan.
Senegal will look to coach Aliou Cisse, who was one of the 2002 players, to help guide his team to a similar achievement. He will try to convey that experience to his squad, and it is working well so far after the team won the African Cup of Nations for the first time in their history.
The run made by Senegal national football team in 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea & Japan wasnt expected by anyone. They were brilliant in group A back then and thoroughly deserved to beat champions France. They ultimately lost in the quarterfinals to Turkey 0-1 in extra-time.
In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Senegal national football team replicated the achievement of Cameroon’s national football team made in 1990 against Argentina that won the 1986 FIFA World Cup. However, their second participation, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Senegal was knocked out of the group stage.
During their participation in the FIFA world cup, Senegal played eight matches, won three matches, drew three matches, and lost two. They scored 11 goals and conceded 10.
At the continental level, Senegal participated in the African Cup of Nations 16 times and won the trophy once, second-placed twice, fourth-placed three times, and appeared in the quarterfinals five times.
Senegal played 63 matches in the Africa Cup of Nations. They won 25 matches, drew in 15 matches, and lost 23 matches. They scored 72 goals and conceded 54 goals.
One of the best players of Senegal national football is Jules Francois Bocande, who is considered one of the best footballers on the African continent in the eighties and nineties, as well as Henri Camara. He is the most-capped player with 99 matches. There is also El Hadji Diouf, who is an icon of Senegalese football. He played 70 matches with the team, scoring 24 goals and was one of the prominent footballers of the golden generation in FIFA World Cup All-star team: 2002, along with Papa Bouba Diop who was one of the key elements in this achievement.
The current Senegal national football team features Sadio Mane who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. He was named the best footballer in the continent. The team also included Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who was named best Goalkeeper in the world for the year 2021.
