SENEGAL · SPORTS GUIDE
Key Facts
- —Dates Saturday, 31 October to Friday, 13 November 2026.
- —Venues Eight sites in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, Senegal.
- —Opening ceremony 31 October, Stade Abdoulaye Wade, 17:45 local, 13:45 US Eastern.
- —Tickets Only via the official platform, tickets.dakar2026.org.
- —Team USA 29 athletes aged 13 to 18 in 12 sports.
- —Watch in the US Team USA points fans to Olympics.com; no US broadcaster confirmed.
Senegal stages the first Olympic event ever held in Africa from Saturday, 31 October. Here is what US fans need for tickets, travel and viewing.
The Dakar Youth Olympic Games, the Olympic event for teenage athletes, run in Senegal from Saturday, 31 October to Friday, 13 November. Competition is spread across Dakar, the capital, the new town of Diamniadio and the beach resort of Saly.
About 2,700 athletes aged 15 to 17 will contest 239 events in 25 sports, International Olympic Committee figures show. Team USA sends 29 athletes, so American families, coaches and fans have a direct stake.
Why the Dakar Games Matter
The Youth Olympic Games began in Singapore in 2010 as a junior Olympics that also tests new sports and formats. Dakar is the fourth summer edition and the first Olympic event of any kind on African soil.
According to figures from the International Olympic Committee, this edition will reach full parity between girls and boys for the first time. The event schedule lists 114 events for men, 114 for women and 11 mixed-team events.
For US readers, the clearest link is Team USA, named by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee on Wednesday, 2 September. The committee said its 29 athletes, aged 13 to 18, will compete in 12 sports.
The American squad covers archery, badminton, breaking, equestrian, rugby sevens, coastal rowing, taekwondo and triathlon. It also includes skateboarding, beach volleyball, beach wrestling and wushu, a Chinese martial art that appears only at the youth edition.
Senegal is a stable, French-speaking democracy of about 19 million people on the westernmost tip of Africa. Diamniadio, a planned town east of the capital, holds several of the main Games venues.
Schedule and Time Difference
The opening ceremony takes place at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio on Saturday, 31 October, at 17:45 Senegal time. That is 13:45 in New York, because US clocks are still on daylight time that day.
Senegal keeps Greenwich Mean Time all year and does not change its clocks. From Sunday, 1 November, when US clocks fall back, Dakar is five hours ahead of the US East Coast.
The official ticketing calendar already lists some sessions before the ceremony. Baseball5, a street version of baseball, starts on Friday, 30 October at the Complexe Tour de l’Oeuf in Dakar.
On opening day, beach volleyball and rowing sprints begin at Saly Plage Ouest at 08:30 local, or 04:30 US Eastern. A morning table tennis session at the Centre des Expositions de Dakar is already marked sold out.
The Games close on Friday, 13 November, after two weeks of competition. The time and venue of the closing ceremony were not listed on the ticketing calendar when this guide was checked.
Where the Sports Take Place
APA, the Dakar-based news agency, published the venue plan on 30 September, citing the International Olympic Committee. The plan lists eight competition sites in three host areas.
Dakar itself hosts athletics, swimming, futsal, rugby sevens, 3×3 basketball, Baseball5, breaking and skateboarding. Iba Mar Diop Stadium, an older ground in the city, is among the sites named.
Diamniadio holds the Stade Abdoulaye Wade, the indoor Dakar Arena, the Centre des Expositions de Dakar and the equestrian centre. Archery, for example, is staged at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade, according to World Archery, the sport’s governing body.
Saly, a beach resort on the coast south-east of Dakar, takes the beach and water sports. These are coastal rowing, beach handball, beach wrestling, sailing, triathlon and beach volleyball.
A public sports area with ten discovery sports is planned on the Corniche, the seafront road, at Place du Souvenir. APA reported that it will offer workshops, demonstrations and introductions for the public.
Tickets and How to Get In
The only official seller is the organising committee’s platform, tickets.dakar2026.org, which offers English and French. It sells individual sessions, the opening ceremony and day passes for the fan zone.
Sales opened on Thursday, 6 August, with priority for Visa cardholders until 9 August, APA reported. The general public has been able to buy since Monday, 10 August.
Opening ceremony tickets were still on sale on Sunday, 11 October, according to the official calendar. Some sessions have already sold out, so popular events should be booked early.
Senego, a Dakar news site, reported at the launch that competition tickets start at 1,000 CFA francs (about US$1.70). World Archery wrote that tickets start at 2,000 CFA francs (about US$3.40).
Children under three enter free with a ticket-holding adult, and a companion of a person with a disability is admitted free. About 300,000 of 750,000 tickets are reserved for schools, associations and sports clubs.
Buy only on the official platform and avoid resale offers on social media. The ticketing site warns that card payments may be split and advises buyers to alert their bank first.
How to Watch in the US
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee says coverage and information can be found on the official Dakar 2026 website. That page sits on Olympics.com, the International Olympic Committee’s own platform.
This guide found no announcement of a US television or streaming deal for the Games. Fans should check Olympics.com and Team USA channels closer to 31 October.
Getting There
International flights land at Blaise Diagne International Airport, which lies between Dakar and the resort coast. It is closer to Diamniadio and Saly than to central Dakar.
Flight options from the United States change by season, so compare nonstop and one-stop routings before booking. Book early, because demand rises around the opening weekend.
Visitors following several sports should base themselves near the venues they care about most. Road traffic between Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly can be heavy, especially on ceremony days.
Safety, Entry Rules and Costs
The US State Department rates Senegal at Level 1, exercise normal precautions, in an advisory issued on Monday, 1 December 2025. It asks travellers to exercise increased caution, Level 2, in the Casamance region in the far south.
US citizens need no visa for stays of 90 days or less, according to the State Department. Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond arrival, with one blank page.
Yellow fever vaccination is not required for direct travel from the United States, though the CDC recommends it. Proof is required for travellers arriving from countries with a yellow fever risk.
Senegal uses the West African CFA franc, which traded at about 585 francs per US$1 on 11 October. A 10,000-franc note, the largest common bill, is worth about US$17.
What It Means for You
If you follow a Team USA athlete, book the session on the official platform now and check your passport dates. Low ticket prices mean the main costs are flights and hotels, not entry.
If you plan to watch from home, remember the time gap of four hours on 31 October and five hours afterwards. Morning sessions in Saly fall in the early hours on the US East Coast.
What Is Not Known
No US broadcaster or streaming partner had been confirmed for the Games when this guide was published. The time and venue of the closing ceremony on 13 November were also not listed.
The full price list could not be read on the official platform, and two published starting prices differ. Bag rules, security checks and shuttle services between venues have not been published in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the Dakar Youth Olympic Games?
They run from Saturday, 31 October to Friday, 13 November 2026. The opening ceremony starts at 17:45 local time, or 13:45 US Eastern, at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio.
Where can I buy tickets?
The only official seller is tickets.dakar2026.org, run by the organising committee. Avoid resale offers on social media.
Do US citizens need a visa for Senegal?
No visa is needed for stays of 90 days or less, according to the State Department. Passports must be valid for six months beyond arrival.
How can I watch the Games in the US?
Team USA directs fans to the official Dakar 2026 pages on Olympics.com. No US television partner had been announced by 11 October.
Sources: Dakar 2026 official ticketing; US Olympic and Paralympic Committee; US State Department; APA (key figures); APA (ticketing); Senego; World Archery; open.er-api.com (all accessed 11 October 2026).
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
Part of our ongoing coverage
Africa: The New Scramble — the great-power contest over the continent.