El Hadji Malick Diouf has been included in Senegal’s squad for two vital 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to be played later this month. Diouf has registered three assists in his first six appearances in the Premier League, the most assists of any defender in Europe's top-five leagues. So, after winning his seventh and eighth caps for his country against South Sudan and DR Congo in September, he will now bid to help the Lions of Teranga secure a place at next summer’s finals in North America. Senegal's best and most famous appearance at a World Cup was in 2002, where they reached the quarter-finals of the tournament in Japan and South Korea. In 2018, they became the first team in World Cup history to be eliminated using the fair play rule, at the group stage, and in 2022, they were beaten 3-0 by England in the round of 16 in Qatar.