Short answers, pulled from the story.
Senegal gained its independence from France on the 4th of April 1960, and the Senegalese Football Federation was founded that same year. The first official match took place on the 31st of December 1961 against Dahomey, now known as Benin.
In 2002, Senegal made history by reaching the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup, becoming only the second African team to do so after Cameroon in 1990. Bruno Metsu coached the team from 2000 to 2002 and led them to this run and a runners-up finish in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Senegal national football team claimed its first Africa Cup of Nations title in 2021 and won their second continental championship in 2025. Aliou Cissé succeeded Bruno Metsu as manager from 2015 to 2024 and led the team to back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2021 and 2025.
Idrissa Gueye holds the record for most appearances with 129 games played between 2011 and present. Sadio Mané stands as the nation's all-time top scorer with 53 goals across 126 caps since 2012.
Following their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations victory, fan behavior sparked significant controversy when supporters used laser pointers aimed at Egypt’s penalty takers and goalkeeper during the shoot-out. FIFA responded by fining the Senegalese Football Federation 175,000 Swiss francs for the disorder.