The Anthem
Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons
▶ Listen on YouTube ↗“Pluck your koras, strike the balafons…”
Its lyrics were written by Léopold Sédar Senghor — a celebrated poet who became Senegal's first president.
The Legends
Names that echo
Sadio Mané
Forward · 2010s–20s
Champions League winner with Liverpool and the modern face of Senegalese football.
El Hadji Diouf
Forward · 2000s
Two-time African Footballer of the Year and star of the 2002 fairytale.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Defender · 2010s–20s
Commanding centre-back and inspirational captain.
Fun Facts
Worth knowing
- 01
'Teranga' is a Wolof word for warm hospitality — central to Senegalese identity, and to the team's nickname.
- 02
On its 2002 World Cup debut, Senegal beat reigning champions France in the opening match.
- 03
Senegal won its first Africa Cup of Nations in 2022, the same year it again reached the World Cup knockouts.
At the World Cup
The story so far
African football's great entertainers. Senegal's 2002 debut — beating France and reaching the quarter-finals — is one of the World Cup's classic underdog stories, and it remains a continental power.
Beating the champions on debut
Senegal stunned holders France 1-0 in the opening game, then surged all the way to the quarter-finals.
Group Stage