The 2026 World Cup could be Kalidou Koulibaly’s last with the Senegal national team

The captain of the Lions of Teranga wants to make way for younger players.

Kalidou Koulibaly does not want to overstay his welcome in the national team. The 34-year-old defender, who has 102 caps to his name, says that the World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer, could be his last with the Lions of Teranga. The defender points out, however, that nothing has been decided yet.

I think this is my last World Cup. I’m not going to play in a World Cup at 39. There are young players knocking on the door; they deserve to be part of this national team. We’ll see what happens after the World Cup. For now, we’re going to take this World Cup in our stride, support the younger players, be there for them for as long as possible, and when we see that the time is right, we’ll pass the torch on to them. I haven’t decided yet. I’ve got a bit of an idea in mind, but we’ll see. I don’t like talking about the future, but we know we’re nearing the end.