Kalidou Koulibaly hints at retiring after 2026 FIFA World Cup

Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly has issued a strong message that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his last for the West African nation as he is contemplating to hang his international boots.

The 34-year-old, who has already gained 103 caps and two Africa Cup of Nations titles with the Lions of Teranga, believes the World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by sixteen cities—eleven in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada, could be his last in Senegal colours.

Kalidou Koulibaly sur une éventuelle retraite internationale après la CDM 2026 :

” Dernière CDM ? Je pense que oui. Je ne vais pas faire une CDM à 39 ans : il y a des jeunes qui frappent à la porte, ils méritent de faire partie de cette équipe nationale. On verra après la CDM… pic.twitter.com/mJnYvvt4UA

— Joueurs SN 🇸🇳 (@JoueursSN) April 3, 2026

The tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three nations, and the first to include 48 teams, an expansion from 32.

‘We are going to World Cup to pass the torch’

“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,” Koulibaly told Mediacarre in an interview as quoted by WiwSport.

“First, we’re going to take this World Cup calmly, we’re going to support the younger players, be available to them for as long as possible, and when we see that the time is right, we’ll pass the torch to them.

“I haven’t decided yet. I have a little idea in mind, but we’ll see. I don’t like to talk about the future, but we know we’re nearing the end.”

Koulibaly made his 100th appearance in Morocco

As Koulibaly was born in France to Senegalese parents, he was eligible to represent both nations at international level, and initially played for the France national U-20 team.

He later made his senior debut with Senegal in 2015, and was a member of the Senegal squad that participated in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He was named to the side that represented Senegal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup the following year, and subsequently helped his team to the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Koulibaly and Senegal then won the 2021 and 2025 editions of the tournament, defeating Egypt and Morocco in the respective finals.

During the AFCON in Morocco, he made his 100th international appearance in a 1-1 draw against DR Congo. He ultimately missed the final match as Senegal defeated host nation Morocco 1-0 after extra time.