Senegal

The current African champions earned their first-ever AFCON championship in February with a victory against Egypt in a penalty shootout. Then, they did the same thing against Egypt to earn a spot in Qatar. This will be their second AFCON in a row.

They will be making their third appearance at the finals, where they made a huge splash on their debut in 2002 by defeating the tournament holders, France, in the opening game and going on to become only the second African country to get to the quarterfinals. 

TACTICS

Sadio Mane, who plays on the left flank for Senegal, is a fast and crafty player who serves as the offensive focal point for the team. Saliou Ciss, who plays left back, has also shown that he can be a tough opponent.

READY TO SHINE

Sadio Mane

The presence of Sadio Mane’s character can be felt across the squad, yet Senegal possesses a large number of talented players. Ismailia Sarr, an attacker for Watford, is one of the few players who can motivate, coax, and lead with their play in the same manner that Sadio Mane does. When he came back to the Senegalese national team in January after being hurt, his effect was clear right away.