World Cup 2026: What’s going on inside Senegal camp?

“If I lose even a second of my belief that I can win the World Cup with Senegal, I will step down,” Thiaw said on the eve of the tournament.

Thiaw, who played for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup, guided the team to that controversial Africa Cup of Nations final in January.

Relations between Thiaw and the federation, however, are not as smooth as appearances might suggest.

When he took charge in 2024, Thiaw accepted the salary that was offered to him, about £210,000 per year.

But after the 2025 Afcon run he acquired a level of power that allowed him to enter contract extension talks from a much stronger position – especially as his previous deal had expired immediately after the tournament.

Talks over his contract extension dragged on.

In Senegal the coach negotiates with the federation, to which he is contractually tied, but both the signing and the payment of the contract must be approved by the state – through the ministries responsible for sport and finance.

After months of delay Thiaw was forced to travel to the US without having signed his new contract.

That happened against a wider political backdrop: Senegal went through a prolonged period of upheaval after the government was dismissed and the prime minister removed from office.

The political situation inevitably had a knock-on effect on other sectors.

When people close to Thiaw increased the pressure through the media, warning that he might refuse to board the plane to the US, Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye stepped in personally.

He contacted Thiaw directly and assured him the matter would be resolved as quickly as possible.

Once the new sports minister, Djireye Clotilde Coly, took office, she travelled to the US to attend the first match against France, meet the squad and reaffirm the assurances that had been given to Thiaw.

The negotiations then moved forward and an agreement was eventually reached on a contract worth £480,000 per year, plus an £80,000 annual bonus.

On Sunday Thiaw said: “It’s true it took too long, but it was never a money issue. It was more a principles and respect issue, but it’s been resolved.

“As Senegalese people, patriotism is more important than anything else and the questions around the contract are in the past now. It’s been signed.”