Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has insisted his side still have a realistic path to the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup 2026, despite back-to-back defeats in the group stage.

The Teranga Lions have endured a bruising start to the tournament, falling 3-1 to France in their opener before suffering a 3-2 loss to Norway. It marks the first time in their World Cup history that Senegal have lost their opening two matches.

One game, one chance

With the group stage drawing to a close, Senegal face Iraq in their final fixture — a game Thiaw has framed as non-negotiable. A victory could still see them advance as one of the best third-placed sides across all groups.

"We've got one match to go, and we need to focus on this last game, and try it and get three points and then cross our fingers," Thiaw told reporters after the Norway defeat.

The coach was careful to resist any suggestion that Senegal's campaign was already over. "I think it's a little bit too early to say that we failed. We're not dead. We're not in a good position, and it is true that it's the first time that Senegal has started a World Cup campaign with two defeats," he added.

Still alive in the race

Thiaw made clear that qualification remains the goal heading into the Iraq clash. "We've still got a chance to qualify, and we're going to focus on the last game. We want to try and get those three points and hope that we can go through," he said.

The Senegal coach also highlighted the expanded nature of this edition of the World Cup as a reason for optimism. "Once you're in the next round, then it's another tournament that starts," Thiaw noted — a reminder that reaching the round of 32 could effectively reset the Teranga Lions' fortunes entirely.

Senegal will need a strong performance against Iraq, and then wait to see how results fall across the other groups, if they are to keep their World Cup 2026 dreams alive.