Soccer 2026 World Cup: Underdog Senegal seeks to take down another powerhouse

It is the last word in the phrase the “Lions of Teranga” that jumps out the most when it comes to describing the Senegal national soccer team. “Teranga” is a Wolof word from the West African language that means “hospitality” or “warmth”. But it is a contradiction on the soccer field where there is likely very little warmth of hospitality which Senegal will be offering to its opponent on Wednesday.

The small West African country will look to add another big name to the list of powerhouse countries it has taken down in the past when Senegal faces Belgium in the round of 32 of the FIFA Men’s World Cup on Wednesday afternoon at Seattle Stadium. The winner will advance to a round of 16 matchup against the winner of the United States versus Bosnia-Herzegovina match next Monday also in Seattle, the last of the six World Cup matches being played in the city. This game is very, very important.

Senegal is playing against a team that topped their table. If Senegal does win, it knows this will be a big win for it and it has the qualities in order to back that win. For the most part, Senegal is not a country or a team that immediately captures the attention of the casual soccer fan. It takes a certain level of depth in the sport to know about this roster or Senegal’s history.

This is the fourth World Cup appearance for the Lions of Teranga and second straight time advancing out of the group stage.

The Lions of Teranga’s history in the tournament includes wins over France, Sweden, Poland and Ecuador. And now comes the chance to take down the Belgians. Senegal escaped the “Group of Death” that also included France and Norway, and used a 5-0 drubbing of Iraq in its final group-stage match to solidify its spot as a third-place team that would keep playing.

Landing in Seattle, though, is a bit of a surprise. It took until last Saturday night before the final placements were determined. When Congo topped Uzbekistan, it locked Senegal into a trip across the country to Seattle after it appeared for the better part of a day that it might be South Korea that ended up coming here. And perhaps only one other team in the knockout stage faced the same amount of travel as Senegal for the knockout round.

Senegal’s base camp was at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, and the team arrived in Seattle on Monday. Only Paraguay had longer travel to get from its base camp in San Jose, California, to its match outside of Boston against Germany, a match won by the Paraguayans. Nevertheless, it would seem a significant benefit for Belgium only needing to make the trip from its base camp in Renton versus flying across the country.

Belgium is already familiar with the situation in Seattle and does not have to travel, that is a slight advantage.

Senegal is one of several countries from Africa who have enjoyed their World Cup success without many fans from their home country able to make the trip. Senegal and Ivory Coast were two of four countries, along with Haiti and Iran, that were on a travel ban list into the United States put in place by the current administration. The bans for Haiti and Iran were “full suspension” while the ones for Senegal and Ivory Coast were “partial suspension”.

While players, support staff, and families were able to travel for the tournament, most of Senegal’s support in the crowds during its first three matches has come from the Senegalese diaspora in North America. Senegal’s first two games were at the Meadowlands outside of New York, where the largest Senegalese community in the United States resides, and outside of Boston. Despite lesser support than others, the expectations have remained the same, both in matching Senegal’s efforts from the past and keeping up with the rest of the African teams in this year’s tournament.

Nine of 10 teams from the African confederation qualified for the knockout rounds, the highest percentage of any confederation. Morocco is already through to the round of 16 after outlasting the Netherlands. Ivory Coast was tied with Norway late before falling 2-1 earlier Tuesday. Before Senegal faces Belgium on Wednesday, Congo will have the chance to take down powerhouse England earlier in the day.

Friday will be the day when the African countries will have the spotlight when Cape Verde (vs. Argentina), Egypt (vs. Australia), and Ghana (vs. Colombia) will all be in action.

Africa has shown that when the opportunity presents itself, it take it. Senegal’s World Cup debut came in 2002 when it reached the quarterfinals before losing to Turkey. After a 16-year absence, Senegal returned to the tournament in 2018, but lost out on a tiebreaker as Japan had fewer yellow cards in the group stage. Four years ago, Senegal won two of its three group-stage matches before getting knocked out by England in the round of 16.

Senegal will be short-handed against Belgium with top goalkeeper Edouard Mendy not available due to a knee injury suffered in the group-stage match against Norway. Mendy returned to his club team in Saudi Arabia following the injury, but is expected to rejoin his Senegal teammates in Seattle before the match. Even without its starting goalkeeper, Senegal still has Sadio Mane, who is probably the most recognizable name on the roster even if he is not among the elite players in the world anymore.

A combo of age (34) and no longer playing in the Premier League, Mane’s club team is in Saudi Arabia, has seen his stock on the world stage diminish. Mane’s heir apparent as the next great player from Senegal is likely Ibrahim Mbaye, who at 18 has appeared in all three matches so far and is already getting regular minutes for French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain. And Ismaila Sarr has scored three of Senegal’s eight goals in the tournament.

This is a talented, experienced group and Senegal emerging with a win should not be considered a surprise.

It is a different competition starting. Senegal is looking for the win so it can continue its journey. In December 2024, after an underwhelming run of performances by Leroy Sané, Mathys Tel might be given the nod by Vincent Kompany to start in the game against Mainz. With Harry Kane out injured, Thomas Muller was the clear favorite to start as the striker against Mainz.

Muller scored Bayern’s second of the night against Shakhtar and his performance looked much improved than his previous showings. Following a dazzling man-of-the-match performance against Shakhtar, Michael Olise was certain to once again start at right-wing. Real Madrid had the table set to move within one point of FC Barcelona and depend on themselves to take the lead in LaLiga.

After the unexpected setback at home against Las Palmas, the Merengues could move within one point if they were able to beat Getafe, with one game less. It was worth remembering that the match against Valencia was suspended due to flooding caused by La Dana, so if the Merengues won against the orange team, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will be the new leaders of LaLiga. All eyes were on Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, who had been under question because he was not going through his best form and missed a key penalty against Liverpool in the Champions League match.

In the absence of Vinícius, Mbappé would once again be in charge of leading the attack for the Whites, with the return of Rodrygo.

In October 2024, Paulo Fonseca explained how Milan was set out in a must-win Champions League match against Club Brugge. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was behind the striker. These were special games, the Champions League was always special, even more so at home. It was important that Milan played well and win, so it could continue having more of these matches throughout the season.

Milan wanted to keep going in the Champions League, but it had to win Club Brugge for that to happen. Theo Hernandez returns to the side after his red card against Fiorentina and missed penalty, but was surprisingly given the captain’s armband nonetheless. There was some confusion as to whether Tijjani Reijnders or Loftus-Cheek was playing as a trequartista behind Alvaro Morata.

The system was the same, Pulisic wider on the right and Loftus-Cheek on the inside, while Reijnders would be closer to Fofana initially, then pushing up to be closer to Loftus and Morata. Francesco Camarda was on the bench, as Luka Jovic and Tammy Abraham were both out injured. If Camarda came on, he would become the youngest ever Milan player in the Champions League.

Ferencváros versus Tottenham Hotspur, Saldanha had the opportunity to release Traoré down the middle, but overhit the pass.

In September 2024, Lionel Messi’s return to soccer action could see the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner play limited minutes during Inter Miami’s match against Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Messi was not in the starting lineup and was listed as a substitute. Messi’s former Barcelona teammates were also not in action to begin the match. Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were substitutes, while Sergio Busquets was out due to yellow card accumulations.

The Atlanta United match against Inter Miami would be broadcast via Major League Soccer (MLS) Season Pass on Apple TV. It would be Inter Miami’s second of three matches in a week span, which prompted coach Tata Martino to put a potential time limit on the Argentine World Cup champion. After Inter Miami plays in Atlanta, Messi and the club would face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.

Messi emphatically returned with two goals and an assist in a 3-1 win against Philadelphia, his first game since the July 14th 2024 Copa America final, which Argentina won after he sustained a right ankle ligament injury. Messi scored goals in the 26th and 30th minutes, and assisted Luis Suarez in the 98th minute. Messi was very eager to come back, it had been a long time away from the field.

Messi’s Inter Miami jersey again topped the MLS list for highest-selling jerseys.

Inter Miami had been the front-runner for the Supporters’ Shield, given to the club with the best MLS record, for most of the season. But Messi and Inter Miami would have some stiff competition to win their second title together. Inter Miami led with 59 points, but the second-place LA Galaxy had made up some ground with 55 points. Soccer new signing Matthijs Ligt grabbed his first goal while Marcus Rashford scored in Manchester United’s 3-0 Premier League victory at Southampton.

Alejandro Garnacho added a late goal for Erik ten Hag’s side. Manchester United had six points from four matches while newly promoted Southampton remained without a point. Southampton dominated early on but squandered a chance to take the lead in the 34th minute after United goalkeeper André Onana saved Cameron Archer’s poor penalty, sparking an immediate shift in momentum at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Ligt headed in a sumptuous ball from Bruno Fernandes. Rashford, who had gone 13 games without a goal, ended his drought with a diagonal shot from outside the 18-yard-box to the far corner in the 45th minute. The hosts were reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute when defender Jack Stephens was sent off for a high tackle on Garnacho. In October 2023, Manchester City was at risk of losing Kevin Bruyne, as Saudi Pro League chiefs were reportedly ready to step up their hunt for the attacking midfielder with a jaw-dropping contract offer. Bruyne was targeted by Saudi officials as they looked to take a plethora of top stars from Europe to the Middle East.

While world-class soccer players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar, and Sadio Mane were playing in Saudi Arabia, Bruyne could not be convinced to make the switch.

Bruyne had been fantastic for Manchester City, having notched an incredible 96 goals and 153 assists in 358 matches, helping the team to win a host of trophies. Saudi officials were determined to make Bruyne their latest big-name capture and would try to lure him to the country with a massive contract offer. Should Bruyne leave, he would go as a modern-day Manchester City legend.

There would be jaw-dropping finances on offer. The report did not mention exactly how much Bruyne could earn, or which team in particular was at the front of the queue to complete a deal. But if previous reports were to be believed, then it is Al Nassr who was leading the charge. This could see Bruyne form an unstoppable partnership with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bruyne took home £400,000 a week at Manchester City. At Al Nassr, Bruyne could earn way more than this. Ronaldo was an extreme example, but he is picking up a whopping £3.6m per week in Saudi Arabia. It would be a shame if Bruyne departs the Premier League at the end of the season, as many Manchester City fans felt he still had plenty more top performances in him.

Bruyne had helped Manchester City to win one Champions League, five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and one UEFA Super Cup.

Bruyne was not the only elite Manchester City man who could soon find a new club, as Real Madrid had reportedly drawn up a huge offer for one of his team-mates. As Arsenal fought Manchester City for the title which would eventually fall away from them, allowing Pep Guardiola and his team to once again lift the trophy. The reality however was perhaps even worse for Arsenal.

Questions regarding the 115 alleged breaches that were leveled at their title rivals that were never going to see a resolution within the timeframe. The Premier League called for a harsh penalty for Everton who was accused of breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) and if found guilty could end up with a 12-point deduction. Naturally, this news had seen attention again switch to Manchester City and the continuing referral by the Premier League to a Commission that continued to work on the situation.

It had been relatively quiet since the news came to light. The sheer volume of allegations that Manchester City were facing means a lengthy process was being undertaken that could take years to fully process. James Carragher made the rather amusing quip online comparing Everton’s potential punishment to what could face Manchester City if they were found to be guilty. The Premier League wanted a 12-point deduction for Everton for one charge, Manchester City was going to end up in the National League North if the Premier League got their way.

The reality was with the Commission conducting its assessment of the allegations in private and confidential settings, it was unlikely there would be any information regarding when would be a conclusion until its end.

Therefore perhaps the anxiousness would emerge from the not knowing. In May 2023, chants of ‘Liverpool, Liverpool’ and loud boos drowned out the anthem, which could only be heard faintly. “God Save the King” was drowned out by boos and chants at Anfield as it was played ahead of the Reds’ 1-0 win over Brentford to mark the crowning of King Charles III and the Queen Consort.