Vieira named new Senegal head coach

What the report says

BBC Africa reports that Patrick Vieira has been appointed head coach of Senegal’s men’s national football team, replacing Pape Thiaw after Senegal exited the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the last 32. Vieira, 50, was born in Dakar before moving to France as a child and later captaining France to the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 titles.

According to the Senegal football federation, the hire fits its aim of strengthening the team’s technical setup and supporting broader sporting goals. The federation has not yet finalised his contract details or start date, but his first matches are expected next month in qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Vieira arrives after leaving Genoa by mutual consent in November, when the Italian club were bottom of Serie A. BBC Sport notes that he helped Genoa stay up last season before results worsened in the current campaign. His coaching background also includes spells in Major League Soccer, France and England, most recently with Crystal Palace and Strasbourg.

The appointment is notable because it brings one of Senegal-born football’s most prominent figures back to manage the country of his birth, while Senegal continue to deal with the fallout from a disputed 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final and a related appeal process.