Senegal
Group:
A
First Match:
November 22, 2022, 12 AM SGT
Stadium:
Al Thumama Stadium
After a 1-1 aggregate score, Senegal advanced to the World Cup on penalties after a shootout victory against Egypt in the 3rd round of qualifying.
Senegal, making its first appearance in the competition, shocked the reigning champions France on day 1. They advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated in overtime by the eventual champions Turkey.
Senegal was the first team in history to be eliminated in the group stage owing to "Fair Play Points" since they had accumulated more yellow cards than Japan. This occurred four years ago. Senegal recently won the African Cup of Nations after a penalty shootout victory over Egypt. The match ended in a scoreless draw.
Key Player: Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich)
At age 30, he is already his country's all-time leading scorer and he is the 2019 and 2022 African Footballer of the Year after a tremendously successful 6-year tenure with Liverpool, through which he captured every domestic championship along with the UEFA Champions League.
This winter, the title holders of Africa will rely heavily on Mane, who netted the deciding penalties in both key matches against Egypt earlier this year.