Afcon 2023: How Senegal came to dominate African football

Alongside the establishment of local academies and infrastructure, Souleymane Diallo, a part-time coach of national age groups and a research professor at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, says a pathway has been created to move talent from youth international level to the senior side.

“Senegal has an extraordinary potential of players and we’re being patient with the generations,” Diallo told BBC Sport Africa.

“At grassroots level, we have a very broad base and we’re creating channels through which these players can reach the first team.

“The federation asks us to put players who have played in the lower categories on the radar, so that each generation can move on from a lower level to a higher one.

“If they finish their category at U17, they go to U20. If they finish at U20 they go on to the U23s, the CHAN team and the first team.”

Another big factor in Senegal’s long-term strategy has been to ensure stability in the dugout. Cisse has been in charge of the Teranga Lions since March 2015, and has slowly built towards success.

A quarter-final exit in the 2017 Afcon (on penalties) was followed by a defeat in the 2019 final, before Senegal returned to triumph in Cameroon in February 2022.

During that time the West Africans were the continent’s top-ranked side for over four years before being replaced by Morocco following their historic World Cup run.