Moussa Niakhaté says Senegal must learn from World Cup failure

Moussa Niakhaté says Senegal must learn from their disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign as they begin their bid to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Senegal defender was speaking on the eve of the Lions’ opening AFCON qualifier against Mozambique, with the team looking to move forward after their elimination in the round of 32 at the World Cup.

Senegal’s players discussed their tournament exit and what followed afterwards, with Niakhaté acknowledging that the campaign fell short of expectations.

“Indeed, the World Cup didn’t go as we had hoped. We are still African champions; we shouldn’t dwell on that. But it’s true that we’ll use all of this in these qualifiers to ensure we’re at the Africa Cup of Nations, because Senegal has a duty to qualify. What we said to each other was that we acknowledged the situation and it was a failure. But today, we’re turning the page.”

The defender said the squad must now use the experience gained from both positive and negative moments rather than remain focused on what has already happened.

Niakhaté believes Senegal can take lessons from the World Cup defeat and use them to avoid repeating mistakes in future competitions.

“For a footballer, winning the Africa Cup of Nations eight months ago is behind us. It’s the same with the World Cup. We must also use victories, successes, and failures to move forward. I’m convinced that this World Cup defeat will greatly benefit us in the future, so we don’t repeat certain mistakes. We’ll take it as an experience. We’ve always grown, we’ve taken a hit, but today, it’s in the past.”

The focus has now shifted to the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, with Senegal preparing to face Mozambique on Friday.

Niakhaté says the immediate objective is to give the Senegalese supporters something to be proud of by starting the qualifying campaign with a disciplined performance and a victory.

“Our goal, as it always has been, is to make the Senegalese people proud. That will start tomorrow, by being very serious, very disciplined, by winning this match of course, but by putting in the necessary effort to win this match. Because a match is built, and qualification for the AFCON is built. So we’re using all these events to move forward and to win again.”

The defender’s comments underline the mood within the Senegal camp as the team prepares to begin another qualifying campaign.

The Lions are determined to put their World Cup experience behind them while retaining the lessons from their early exit.

For Niakhaté, the previous disappointment should serve as part of the team’s development rather than remain a source of frustration.

Senegal now have an opportunity to respond on the pitch when they meet Mozambique, with the first step towards qualification for the 2027 AFCON beginning on Friday.

The defender says the squad has already accepted what happened at the World Cup and is now ready to focus on the task ahead.

The message from the Senegal camp is clear: learn from the setback, turn the page and begin the journey towards another Africa Cup of Nations appearance.