Senegal: Who will benefit from Jakobs’s international retirement?

Ismail Jakobs, the 27-year-old Galatasaray defender, confirmed his international retirement after earning 33 caps for Senegal. His departure is expected to cement El Hadji Malick Diouf’s place as first-choice left-back after he played the opening two matches of Senegal’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Nobel Mendy and Malang Sarr are competing to become Diouf’s backup, while Moussa Ndiaye and Ilay Camara are unavailable with injuries. Patrick Vieira is expected to announce his next squad the following week, ahead of the November 12 and 16 matches against Sudan.