The Senegalese Football Federation confirmed the new coach of the Lions of Teranga on Tuesday.
Posting on "X", the official account of the Senegal national team wrote: "Patrick Vieira has become the new coach of the Senegal senior national team.. the date of his official presentation and the next steps in his appointment process will be announced later... Welcome to Senegal".
Vieira replaces Pape Thiaw, who the federation sacked along with his entire technical staff after a bruising exit from the 2026 World Cup. Belgium knocked Senegal out in the round of 16, and the local press branded the defeat a "knockout blow" to a project that had carried great ambitions.
The federation set out its reasoning in an official statement issued after a meeting of the executive committee. It said the sacking stemmed from "an assessment of the team's performance and its future prospects", stressing that the change came "in the interest of Senegalese football".