Lion kings: AFCON champ Senegal vs. USMNT in Charlotte

FIFA

Senegal, which won the Africa Cup of Nations title with a 1-0 win against Morocco on Jan. 18, will play a pre-FIFA World Cup match against the United States on May 31 at Bank of America Stadium.

The U.S. Men’s National Team friendly against Senegal ahead of the FIFA World Cup, has just ratcheted up a few notches in degree of difficulty and notoriety.

The May 31 match at Bank of America Stadium will be the third of four World Cup tuneups, following games against big names Belgium (March 28) and Portugal (March 31) in Atlanta, and preceding a final test against Germany (June 6) in Chicago. 

Les Lions de la Teranga are now in rare air as the champions of Africa after beating host Morocco 1-0 on Jan. 18 in the Africa Cup of Nations final. 
Pape Gueye scored the winner. 

The Lions are kings for the second time. They were runners-up in 2002 and 2019 before winning the continental tournament for the first time in 2021, their only previous title in 18 competitions.
At the 2002 World Cup – Senegal’s first – the Lions became just the second team from Africa to reach the quarterfinals, 12 years after Cameroon first accomplished the feat.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, even with their biggest star Sadio Mané out due to injury, Senegal managed to progress from the group with wins over Qatar and Ecuador, following a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands. They lost 3–0 to England in the Round of 16.

In a friendly last summer, Senegal avenged that loss with a 3–1 win against England in Nottingham, becoming the first African country to beat the Brits in a senior-level match.
In the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Senegal was drawn into Group I with France, Norway, and the winner of a playoff between Bolivia, Iraq, and Suriname.

Along with Mané, who scored 90 goals in six seasons with Liverpool before heading to Bayern Munich and now Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia since 2023, the more well-known Lions include forward Nicolas Jackson, who is now at Bayern after two seasons with Chelsea, and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who made 60 appearances for Chelsea before joining Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia). They also have midfielder Pape Matar Sarr at Tottenham, and forward Boulaye Dia at Lazio.

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