Bayern Munich youngster Bara Sapoko Ndiaye has made the cut for Senegal’s final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Having recently arrived from Gambino Stars Africa this year via Bayern’s Red & Gold partnership, Ndiaye has made a fast acclimation to life in Bavaria. The midfielder has already started in two Bundesliga matches under Vincent Kompany and logged 143 minutes across four appearances overall.
Still, the 18-year-old’s inclusion in the Senegal side that faced the United States
last weekend was only meant to be a token introduction to the national team. That all changed at camp.
Ndiaye seriously impressed, started and played the full match on Saturday — a 3-2 win for the USMNT — and forced his way into the final list, per local media reports, as captured by @iMiaSanMia:
According to Senegalese media, the initial intention of coach Pape Thiaw was to include Bara Sapoko Ndiaye in the preliminary squad in order to give him some experience and get to know the national team. He was supposed to be one of the players cut from the final squad. But the Bayern midfielder impressed during the training camp in a way that left the coach with no other choice but to call him up to the final World Cup squad
Ndiaye is still defining his role at Bayern but his trajectory will be one to watch.
Moustapha Mbow and Ilay Camara were the final cuts from Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw’s squad instead. It is a group that also features Nicolas Jackson — slated to return to Chelsea after a loan spell this year spelling Harry Kane — and Bayern alum Sadio Mané.
The Lions of Teranga will play France, Norway, and Iraq in the group stage this month.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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