Senegal Sports Minister sets AFCON title and World Cup qualification as key targets for Pape Thiaw

Senegal’s Sports Minister Khady Diène Gaye has confirmed that national team coach Pape Thiaw’s contract explicitly includes winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and qualifying for the FIFA World Cup as primary objectives.

Speaking on RTS’s Nay Leer talk show, Gaye emphasised that the expectations placed on Thiaw are clearly documented. “It’s clear and straightforward, you’ve seen the contract,” she said when questioned about the coach’s future.

“Winning the African Cup of Nations and qualifying for the World Cup are part of the clauses. I had put these on the table as conditions for signing the contract.”

Senegal will begin its qualification campaign on 5 September with a home fixture against Sudan. That match will be followed by a challenging away trip to Kinshasa to face DR Congo, before a highly anticipated clash with Mauritania in October.

Addressing whether this schedule could place additional pressure on the national coach, Gaye struck a confident tone: “Let’s pray that we qualify; inshallah we will qualify. That’s what matters.”

The minister reiterated Senegal’s ambitions to compete at the highest level and push beyond previous achievements. “I said it in the locker room at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium—I don’t remember which match—that we are already used to this major event that is the World Cup,” she explained. “The real challenge is no longer simply to be there, but to progress deep into the tournament, or even to lift the trophy.”

Gaye stressed that Senegal has every reason to maintain high expectations given its record on the international stage. “We have the right to speak like that because we are ambitious. Senegal, for its first participation in 2002, reached the quarter-finals.

Since 2018, we have not missed a single edition,” she said. “Besides, coach Pape Thiaw loves victory more than we do, and we wish him success.”

The Sports Minister also sought to reassure fans about the resources available to support the national team’s campaign. “On our side, everything is ready,” she confirmed. “The budget is already available, and all expenses are calibrated.”

With AFCON qualification and World Cup aspirations now formally tied to Thiaw’s role, Senegalese football enters a decisive period, as the Lions of Teranga aim to cement their status among Africa’s footballing elite while pursuing global success.