Patrick Vieira has named a 26-man squad without Sadio Mané or Idrissa Gana Gueye for the double header against Sudan, while the Al-Nassr forward remains nominated for the 2026 African Player of the Year award.
The news broke on 4 November: Patrick Vieira, Senegal head coach, has settled on a 26-man squad for the double confrontation against Sudan on 12 and 16 November in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. Sadio Mané is not in it. Neither is Idrissa Gana Gueye, reports Seneweb.
The timing raises eyebrows: the 34-year-old Al-Nassr forward has just been named by APS among the nominees for the 2026 African Player of the Year award. The staff have given no explanation for his absence, and at this stage nothing allows a call to be made between injury, a sporting choice or a personal decision.
A 26-man squad without the stalwarts
Around Vieira, the selection breaks with habit. According to Senego, the head coach has called up Pathé Mboup, Clayton Diandy and Paul Mendy for the first time. Krépin Diatta and Dion Lopy, for their part, return to the fold, according to Foot Africa.
The young Mamour Ndiaye, Lamine Sy, Nobel Mendy and Sadibou Sané are confirmed in the group. The coach must however do without Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, Assane Diao, Abdallah Sima and Ismaïla Sarr, all absent for medical reasons, Foot Africa specifies.
The injury crisis does not on its own explain the exclusion of Mané and Gana Gueye: no source links it to a specific reason. The head coach has not spoken on the subject.
Mané, a record that speaks for itself
The man remains a benchmark on the continent. Voted best player of AFCON 2025, he scored 2 goals and provided 3 assists in 7 matches at the tournament, according to L’Équipe. He has already won the African Player of the Year trophy in 2019 and 2022.
His nomination for the 2026 edition, reported by APS, underlines the consistency of his status despite being 34. The forward plays for Al-Nassr, in Saudi Arabia.
For Vieira, this squad without his attacking spearhead is a real test. The coach’s second gathering in charge of the Lions follows a mixed start: two wins and a draw, according to OneFootball/OnzeMondial.
Sudan, then Lagos
The schedule is tight. Senegal host Sudan on 12 November in Dakar for matchday 3, before travelling to Sudan on 16 November for matchday 4, according to Seneweb.
Two fixtures that will weigh on the rest of the qualifying campaign for AFCON 2027, and on how Vieira’s group settles without its historic stalwarts.
The Mané case, meanwhile, could resurface on 7 December in Lagos, where the CAF Awards ceremony is being held. With his presence for Senegal against Sudan not announced, it may be on that Nigerian stage that his name comes up again.