Senegal have taken a huge risk with their final squad selection for AFCON 2025 scheduled to commence on December 21st.
All roads lead to Morocco for the highly anticipated and most talked tournament in Africa, AFCON 2025 and with countries already confirming their squad selection, former champions, Senegal have announced what many have called a formidable squad in order to compete at the highest level in the tournament.
Eyebrows have however been raised with the inclusion of some players who have been categorized and unfit to partake in the tournament, at least the early stages.
Senegal’s Teranga Lions, champions for the first time in 2022, will kick off their title defence on 23 December with an opening Group D clash against Botswana, before taking on Benin and DR Congo.
Although there have been fitness concerns, head coach Thiaw has played down fears over the availability of three key players, maintaining that they are on course to be fit before the tournament begins. The selection of Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Assane Diao had initially raised questions, as all three were carrying injuries.
Diao recently picked up a thigh problem while in action for Como, Diarra has been sidelined since undergoing groin surgery in September during his time at Sunderland, while Sarr has missed Crystal Palace’s last three fixtures due to ankle ligament damage sustained against Manchester United.
Senegal’s final squad selection for AFCON 2025
Goalkeepers
- Mory Diaw (Le Havre)
- Yehvann Diouf (Nice)
- Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli)
Defenders
- Ilay Camara (Anderlecht)
- Krépin Diatta (Monaco)
- El Hadji Malik Diouf (West Ham United)
- Ismail Jakobs (Galatasaray)
- Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal)
- Antoine Mendy (Nice)
- Moussa Niakhaté (Olympique Lyonnais)
- Mamadou Sarr (Racing Strasbourg)
- Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haifa)
Midfielders
- Lamine Camara (Monaco)
- Pathé Ciss (Rayo Vallecano)
- Habib Diarra (Sunderland)
- Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton)
- Pape Gueye (Villarreal)
- Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards
- Boulaye Dia (Lazio)
- Habib Diallo (Metz)
- Assane Diao (Como)
- Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich)
- Sadio Mané (Al Nassr)
- Ibrahim Mbaye (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Cherif Ndiaye (Samsunspor)
- Iliman Ndiaye (Everton)
- Cheikh Sabaly (Metz)
- Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace)