Senegal gained its independence from France on 4 April 1960, and the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) was founded that year. The first Senegal match took place on 31 December 1961 against Dahomey (now Benin). Senegal lost 3–2.
Senegal's first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations was in 1965, where they finished second in their group, and lost 1–0 to Ivory Coast to finish in fourth place.
1990s
In the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal finished fourth. Senegal hosted the 1992 tournament, where after finishing second in their group, they were eliminated by Cameroon in the quarterfinals. Senegal qualified for four of six African championships that decade.
2000s
Senegal's best finish in the African Cup of Nations came in 2002, where they lost the final on a penalty shootout after drawing 0–0 with Cameroon.[3] Later that year, Senegal made their debut appearance at the World Cup. After defeating defending world champions France in their opening game, they drew with Denmark and Uruguay to progress from the group stages, then beat Sweden in extra time in the round of 16 to reach the quarter-finals, one of only three African teams to do so (alongside Cameroon in 1990 and Ghana in 2010). There, they lost to Turkey in extra-time.[4][5]
Senegal qualified for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, but finished third in their group with two points. They failed to make the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the first World Cup to be held in Africa.
After Senegal's former manager Bruno Metsu died on 14 October 2013, many Senegalese players were recalled to appear and have a moment of silence in memory of the manager who helped them reach the quarter-final in the 2002 World Cup. All activities of the national league and the national team were suspended for a few days in his memory.
The West African nation narrowly missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup after losing in a round-robin match against Ivory Coast in the final qualification round. Senegal qualified for two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments since, being eliminated in the group stage in 2015 and reaching the quarterfinals in 2017. On 10 November 2017, after defeating South Africa 2–0,[6] Senegal qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,[7] the second in its history after the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.[8] Senegal defeated Poland 2–1 in their opening group match,[9] thanks to an own goal by Thiago Cionek and a M'Baye Niang strike.[10] In the next group stage match, Senegal drew 2–2 against Japan, with goals from Sadio Mané and Moussa Wagué.[11] However, despite having a great advantage, a 1–0 loss to Colombia in their final match[12] meant they finished level on points with Japan, who progressed thanks to a superior fair play record despite also losing their final match.[13] Thus, Senegal was eliminated in the group stage for the first time in its World Cup history.[14]
Senegal achieved a very successful campaign in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations under the same management of Aliou Cissé, who participated in the 2002 final before. Under Cissé, Senegal reached their first final in seventeen years, beating almost every opponent in the process.[15] However, having already lost 1–0 to Algeria earlier in the tournament, Senegal lost 1–0 to them again in the final, thus missing out on the title for a second time.[16][17]
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player has retired from international football. SUS Suspended from the national team.
(4 April 2024)[1]
British Gambia 1–2 French Senegal .svg){kind=small}
Senegal 7–0 Mauritius 
Czechoslovakia 11–0 Senegal 
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Romai[18]
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