2023: Senegal, Africa's Best Football Nation

2023: Senegal, Africa's Best Football Nation

By Gbenga Gboyega

Productive efforts, consistency, and quality assessment are a few of the many attributes that have ensured success for the Senegalese Football Federation above other African nations, with their latest achievements coming from age grade Internationals.

Bsnsports.com.ng reported earlier that the Senegalese U-17 team - the Young Lions of Teranga, defeated Burkina Faso in the semi-finals of the ongoing 2023 CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, to book one of two spots for a final showdown in Algiers. 

Before this, the team had clinched one of four tickets for the U-17 FIFA World Cup coming up later this year.

Since their first participation in CAF competitions back in 1965, Senegal had failed to surpass the quarter-finals at the senior level in the AFCON, till 2002 when they were ousted by Cameroon on penalties in the final. 

They went seventeen years before reaching yet another final, which they lost again, to Algeria via a narrow 1-0 scoreline. 

However, after 2019, the Teranga Lions have yet to pull their feet off the pedal, maintaining the top position on FIFA's ranking for CAF countries, over two years before relinquishing the spot to Morocco recently, following Qatar 2022 World Cup performances. 

Within the period, Senegal's Teranga Lions grabbed the AFCON title in style for the first time ever against Egypt in 2022, as the title was decided via the lottery of a penalty shoot-out. 

They also defeated the same opponents over two legs to clinch one of five African tickets to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

Senegal finished second in Group A in Qatar and was one of the two African teams to reach the knockout stages alongside Morocco. Before falling at the hands of England in the Round of 16 3 goals to nil. Doing all these with an indigenous coach at the helm of affairs. 

Furthermore, Senegal's CHAN team clinched the 2022 African Nations Championship title in February 2023, adding to their array of achievements in over a year. And now, their U17 team books a spot in the AFCON final for a date with Morocco. 

2023 was also a success for the Senegalese Women's national football team, as they clinched the WAFU Zone A Women's Cup in January, defeating Cape Verde 1-0 in the final, having won the first edition back in 2020. 

The Women's team is also part of Africa's entourage to the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July-August 2023. 

With these recent strides and progress experienced by Senegal football, it is safe to say they have become the pacesetters and pinnacle for African football.