Senegal have appointed former Arsenal captain and France World Cup winner Patrick Vieira as their new head coach following the dismissal of Pape Thiaw.

The Senegalese Football Federation described the appointment as a “strategic choice” to rebuild the national team after its World Cup campaign ended with a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Belgium in the round of 32.

Born in Dakar, Vieira, 50, earned 107 caps for France, winning the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He also captained Arsenal’s unbeaten 2003-04 “Invincibles” and won three Premier League titles.

Vieira has previously managed New York City FC, Nice, Crystal Palace, Strasbourg and Genoa, but Senegal will be his first international coaching job.

He inherits a team still dealing with controversy surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, which CAF later awarded to Morocco after Senegal players and officials walked off the pitch. Senegal has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Vieira’s immediate task will be to restore stability ahead of Senegal’s 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign, where they will face Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia.