French Hervé Renard has entered the list of candidates to take over the coaching of the Senegal national team, succeeding coach Pape Thiaw after his departure from his position.
The Senegalese Federation announced the dismissal of Pape Thiaw from his position as technical director of the Lions of Teranga hours ago.
L'Équipe had earlier revealed that Patrick Vieira's name tops the nominations so far, but he is not the only candidate on the final list.
Meanwhile, the Senegalese website SeneNews revealed that Hervé Renard, who has extensive experience in African football, is among the most prominent names under consideration, especially after winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia in 2012 and Côte d'Ivoire in 2015.
Despite his recent short stint with the Tunisia national team at the 2026 World Cup, the French coach still enjoys the confidence of a number of officials within the Senegalese Federation.
This comes at a time when Renard's name is also linked to the possibility of coaching the Algeria national team, succeeding coach Vladimir Petković.
The Senegalese Federation is expected to make its decision in the coming period in preparation for the upcoming fixtures, foremost among them the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Senegalese Football Federation opened the file of the new coach following the failure at the 2026 World Cup, which ended the previous technical staff's tenure.
Senegalese Federation Secretary General Abdallah Seydou Sow said: "Senegal cannot play minor roles in Africa or the world. If we want a competitive team, we need a big coach."
The Senegalese Federation announced the dismissal of Pape Thiaw from coaching the Senegal national team after exiting the World Cup in the round of 32.
The Lions of Teranga exited the World Cup after losing 3-2 to Belgium despite leading 2-0 until the 86th minute.
Thiaw took over the coaching of Senegal succeeding his compatriot Aliou Cissé in October 2024.
During 25 matches, Senegal under his leadership won 15 matches, drew 4 and lost 6 in all competitions.
Senegal won the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title with Thiaw, but it was withdrawn from them by a decision of the African Confederation due to the coach's decision to withdraw before securing victory over Morocco.
Senegal national team player Pape Gueye had previously announced that he would not play for the national team unless Thiaw left after the World Cup exit.
