For the first time in nearly a decade, Senegal arrives at the Africa Cup of Nations without Aliou Cissé on the bench. Cissé, the mastermind behind Senegal’s first AFCON triumph in 2021, was out of contract after the team’s elimination from the 2023 tournament. Even though the team has not lost a match since then and has won five of the six matches, Cissé’s captaincy was in question following poor draws in crucial games. The team now moves to the next level, but his contribution to Senegalese football cannot be questioned.

End of an Era: Aliou Cissé’s Legacy

Aliou Cissé was leading the Senegalese national team for nine years before the officials decided not to renew his contract in October 2024. Although the team has done well and clinched the 2021 AFCON title and qualified for two World Cups, there were recent issues. This change was made after Senegal was eliminated in the Round of 16 of the 2023 AFCON by Ivory Coast and after criticisms of how the team played the game.

Nobody expected such a turnaround from a team that had previously shown success. As a result, those who bet on the Senegalese opponents on bookmaker sites with good and fair odds, such as, for example, Melbet Online, took home simply fabulous sums – after all, even professional bookmakers could not predict such a sharp decline in results. The Senegalese Football Federation also mentioned unachieved contractual targets and the team’s drop in the FIFA ranking as the reasons for Cissé’s exit.

Team Captain and Player in Star Clubs

Aliou Cissé began his football journey in France and has playing for Lille, Paris Saint-Germain and Montpellier amongst others. In his playing career, he was regarded as a solid defensive player and a good captain. He was appointed captain of the Senegalese national team and guided the team to the quarter finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His playing career also involved playing for Birmingham City and Portsmouth in the English Premier League.

Aliou Cissé: A Journey from Player to Coach

Cissé became the Senegal coach in 2015. He won 60% of the games and guided the team to two World Cup qualifications and one AFCON championship. This makes him fall in the right place among the best international coaches – using research from the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, we can see that his performance is comparable to that of many of his well-known peers:

• Gareth Southgate (England): 60%
• Didier Deschamps (France): 65–70%
• Hansi Flick (Germany): 65%

Cissé’s tactical approach and leadership transformed Senegal into one of Africa’s strongest teams during his tenure.

The Road to AFCON 2023: What Went Wrong?

The early elimination of Senegal from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations came as a shock to many people after the team was knocked out by Ivory Coast in the Round of 16. The game went into penalties after a 0-0 draw. This result, along with other down moments of the tournament, became a turning point for the team that was once triumphant two years ago. This was regarded as one of the major factors that led to the club’s decision not to renew Cissé’s contract and the need to bring in new ideas.

Struggles in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification

The qualification process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has not been as easy for Senegal as hoped. At the moment, the team occupies the second position in Group B after four games, and the team has been unable to achieve victory over DR Congo and Burkina Faso even with the home ground. Senegal is closely following Sudan in the lead position of the group. 

The group winner alone gets a direct ticket to the next round, and therefore, every following game is significant. The matches in this group are currently attracting almost the greatest interest, and many bookmakers are offering excellent odds. So, if you have not yet placed a bet through the MelBet sports betting, it’s high time you did so. Now, the results of the qualification will show whether such shock measures are effective and what exactly the reason for the rise and fall of the Senegalese team was.

Temporary Leadership for the World Cup Qualifiers

Since the departure of Aliou Cissé, Senegal has been operating under an interim arrangement as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The team is to face several critical games with Group B teams such as Sudan, DR Congo, and Burkina Faso. These games are important as only the first team from each group gets a direct ticket to the tournament. The change in leadership in Senegal makes it even more complicated for the team as they continue to struggle in this difficult qualification round.

Key Players Stepping Up in the Absence of Cissé

Senegal’s main players will have to step up and provide the leadership that is missing in the absence of Aliou Cisse. Players such as Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly are very important for Senegal both in the field and outside of it. Mané, who has struggled with injuries in the past couple of seasons, is still the star forward for the team, while Koulibaly continues to lead the defense. Their role will be important given that Senegal is to play their World Cup qualifiers under the interim management. By the way, you can check out the roster of any team and their latest games on MelBet official website in the “Statistics” and “Results” tabs.

A Brief History of Senegal’s Coaches and Key Victories

In the past, Senegal has had several high-profile coaches at the helm of the team. Before Aliou Cissé, other coaches like Bruno Metsu put Senegal on the map when the country advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup. Amara Traoré also played an important part in the team, though his time on the team was a bit of a hit-and-miss. All the coaches brought certain value to Senegal’s football history. We turned to football statistics research to select highlights and recall the best matches played over the years:

What’s Next for Senegal?

With Aliou Cissé out of the picture, all attention is on who will be the next permanent coach of the Senegalese team. The Senegalese Football Federation has not announced a successor, but this is a big decision. The new coach will have a team with high-quality players and sometimes good results, but mostly in friendly matches and not World Cup qualifiers. 

Well, this is clearly a new page not only in the history of Senegalese, but also of all African football. We say thank you to Aliou Cisse and wish him to find a new worthy use for his experience and talent. And for the Senegalese national team, may the new coach not only repeat the best achievements of Cisse, but also lead to new, previously unconquered heights!