Vieira has been appointed head coach of Senegal, the country’s football federation confirmed on Tuesday, bringing the former France midfielder back to the city of his birth.
“Patrick Vieira has become the new coach of the Senegal senior national team,” the federation posted on X, adding that details of his official presentation would follow.
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Vieira, born in Dakar before moving to France as a child, replaces Pape Thiaw, sacked along with his entire coaching staff after Senegal’s round-of-16 exit to Belgium at this year’s World Cup, a defeat local media branded a “knockout blow” to a project built on real ambition.
Monsieur Patrick Vieira est le nouvel entraîneur de l’équipe nationale A du Sénégal. La date de la présentation officielle et les prochaines étapes de son installation feront l’objet d’une communication ultérieure.
Bienvenue au Sénégal, Coach ✅ pic.twitter.com/eJca5zNXkn
— Equipe du Sénégal (@GaindeYi) August 18, 2026
The federation said the decision followed “an assessment of the team’s performance and its future prospects.”
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It’s Vieira’s first international coaching role, following a club career that began with Manchester City’s academy in 2013 before moves to New York City FC, OGC Nice, Crystal Palace, Strasbourg and, most recently, Genoa, where he was sacked in October 2025 with the club bottom of Serie A.
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His most statistically successful spell came in MLS with New York City, averaging 1.58 points per game across 90 matches, though none of his subsequent jobs in Europe delivered major silverware.
His first task is a familiar one for any new national coach: qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with qualifiers starting as early as September.
Photo: REUTERS/Alberto Lingria
