Patrick Vieira appointed Senegal head coach with AFCON qualifiers looming

Former Arsenal and Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira has been named as the new national team football coach of Senegal, replacing Pape Thiaw.

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.

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.

Thiaw was heavily criticised for his side’s Round of 32 exit at the FIFA World Cup 2026, which was confirmed by a 3-2 defeat by Belgium, and was subsequently dismissed.

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said in a social media post that Vieira’s appointment is a “strategic move” aiming to “establish a high-level technical set-up, in line with our country’s sporting ambitions”.

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.

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’s Serie A and then signing for AC’s rival Inter. He ended his playing days at Manchester City in 2011.

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.

Vieira’s coaching career began in Major League Soccer with New York City FC in 2016, before Nice brought him back to France in 2018.

After a two-year stint in the English Premier League with Crystal Palace, Vieira had one-year spells with Strasbourg and Genoa.

“The date of the official presentation and the next steps in [Vieira’s] installation will be the subject of a ‌subsequent announcement,” the FSF statement on X added.

Senegal’s next scheduled competitive fixtures will be in the 2027 AFCON Qualifiers during the upcoming FIFA international window from September 21 to October 6, 2026.

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.

The Lions of Teranga are still hoping to regain their 2025 AFCON title by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against CAF’s ruling to award the title to Morocco, who were defeated in the final of the tournament, which extended into January of this year.