Senegal have appointed Patrick Vieira as their new head coach.
The permanent job has been vacant since Senegal sacked Pape Thiaw, in charge since 2024, after the national team’s round-of-32 World Cup exit in July.
Thiaw oversaw their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, in which the side won the final but had their title stripped by the African football federation 57 days later. The Athletic reported in July their subsequent appeal will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in October.
Senegal finished third in their World Cup group to progress but lost 3-2 to Belgium in the first round of the knockout stage.
Vieira, who was born in Dakar, Senegal, has been out of football since November when a winless start to Genoa’s Serie A season saw him leave his role as head coach only 11 months after being appointed.
It followed a year-long stint at Strasbourg and two years as Crystal Palace head coach between 2021 and 2023, after which he was sacked with the club three points above the Premier League relegation zone.
As a player, Vieira made 307 Premier League appearances across stints at Arsenal and Manchester City. He won three league titles with the north London club between 1997 and 2004, and the World Cup with France in 1998.
