Senegal Coach Pape Thiaw at risk of suspension from the 2026 FIFA World Cup

According to multiple reports, Thiaw could be handed a lengthy suspension that may rule him out of leading Senegal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

The move comes after a controversial incident in the final, when Thiaw instructed his players to walk off the pitch and head to the dressing rooms following referee Jean-Jacques Ndala’s decision to award a penalty to Morocco. The match was delayed for around 10 minutes before the Senegal coach reversed his decision. Brahim Díaz subsequently missed the spot-kick, and Senegal went on to secure victory in extra time.

After a moment of lost control in the final, the Senegal boss admits he "shouldn't" have ordered his players to leave the pitch and sent his apology to the football: “We did not agree with the decision, that is all, and I do not want to go back over what happened in this match. After reflecting, I really did not like the fact that I told my players to leave the pitch. I apologise to football. I brought them back,” Thiaw spoke to beIN Sports in the mixed zone.

“Sometimes you can react in the heat of the moment. We asked ourselves whether that penalty could have been given if our goal before that had been allowed. But now we accept the referee’s mistakes, that can happen. We should not have done it, but it is already done. We apologise.”

Pape Thiaw has faced widespread criticism in the aftermath of the match, including from Morocco head coach Walid Regragui. Regragui did not hesitate to criticise Thiaw during his post-match press conference, saying that Thiaw’s actions “dishonour Africa.”

“As I said, in the end you always have to remain classy, in defeat as well as in victory. What Pape did tonight does not honour Africa. It was not classy, but it does not matter, he is the African champion so he has the right to say whatever he wants.”

CAF confirmed it is examining all available video evidence from the final and stated that the matter will be forwarded to the appropriate bodies within the confederation for potential disciplinary measures against those implicated.

If Pape Thiaw is handed a suspension, Senegal’s national team preparations could be significantly disrupted, particularly with the global showpiece just five months away.