France's 1998 World Cup Patrick Vieira appointed Senegal head coach

Patrick Vieira, the former Arsenal and France captain, has been appointed as the new head coach of the Senegal men's national football team. At 50 years old, Vieira replaces Pape Thiaw, who was dismissed after Senegal's elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stages. A native of Senegal's capital, Dakar, Vieira will now lead his home country, having left France as an eight-year-old before going on to earn over 100 caps for France, including World Cup and European Championship titles.

The Senegal Football Federation (FSF) expressed their intention to bolster their high-level technical team with Vieira's appointment, aligning well with the nation's sporting goals. The specifics of Vieira's contract and his start date in the role are still under discussion. His inaugural games as Teranga Lions coach are anticipated to begin next month, coinciding with qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Vieira departed from Genoa by mutual consent last November, after the team finished bottom of Serie A. During the 2024-25 season, he secured eight wins and drew nine games, guiding Genoa to a 13th-place finish. However, he parted ways with the club in March 2023, after just two wins in the 2023-24 season, both of which came in the Coppa Italia.

Vieira's playing career was adorned with significant achievements, including three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal, along with trophies from AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Manchester City. He retired from playing in 2011 and went on to manage New York City in 2016 before returning to Europe with Nice, leading them to seventh place in Ligue 1 in his first season.

Vieira was dismissed from Nice in December 2020 and took over as Crystal Palace manager the following year, leading the club to 12th place in the Premier League and FA Cup semi-finals in the 2021-22 season. He was then sacked in March 2023 following a 12-game winless run. Vieira joined RC Strasbourg following the club's takeover by BlueCo, the entity that owns Chelsea, in July 2024, but left the team by mutual consent in the same month.

Vieira succeeded Thiaw as Senegal's head coach, who faced controversy in January for walking off the field during the 2025 Afcon final when Morocco was awarded a stoppage-time penalty. The players eventually returned to the field after a 17-minute delay, and Senegal lost the final to Morocco. However, Morocco was declared the winner in March when the Confederation of African Football's appeals board overturned the final's result due to Senegal's walk-off.

Senegal has since lodged an appeal against the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the case set to be heard on October 8.