Former Arsenal and France captain Patrick Vieira has been named the new coach of the Senegal men’s national team.
The 50-year-old replaces Pape Thiaw, who was fired following his country’s elimination in the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, Vieira will now manage his native country, having moved to France at the age of eight before winning more than 100 caps for Les Bleus and lifting the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said the appointment reflects its “desire to strengthen its high-level technical staff” and is “perfectly aligned” with the nation’s sporting ambitions.
The details of Vieria’s contract and his start date in the role are still being discussed.
His first matches in charge of the Teranga Lions are expected to be next month in the 2027 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.
Vieira joins the West Africans after he left his position as Genoa head coach by mutual agreement last November, with the Serie A bottom team.
They won eight and drew nine of their 26 matches during the 2024-25 season to guide the Italian club to safety and finish in 13th place.
However, he left the club after achieving only two victories in 25-26, both in the Coppa Italia.
During his playing career, midfielder Vieira won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal, as well as titles with AC Milan, Inter Milan and Manchester City.
He retired in 2011 and became New York City manager in 2016 before returning to Europe with Nice and leading them to seventh place in Ligue 1 in his first season.
Vieira was sacked in December 2020 and became Crystal Palace manager the following year, guiding the Eagles to 12th place in the Premier League and the FA Cup semi-finals in 2021-22.
He was sacked in March 2023 after a 12-game winless streak, before joining RC Strasbourg as his first appointment following the takeover by BlueCo, the company that owns Chelsea. Left Strasbourg by mutual agreement in July 2024.
His predecessor, Thiaw, was at the center of controversy in January when he carried his Senegal team off the field when Morocco were awarded a penalty in stoppage time in the 2025 Afcon final.
The players finally returned after a delay of about 17 minutes before Brahim Díaz’s penalty was saved and Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time.
However, Morocco was declared the winner of the tournament in March, when the appeals board of the Confederation of African Football overturned the result of the final after Senegal’s elimination.
Senegal has appealed against that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, whose case is scheduled to be heard on October 8.
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