"You could have been a world champion." Senegalese captain Kalidou Koulibaly hears this all the time. "Kouli" was born and raised in France, the winner of the 2018 World Cup. But instead, he decided to play for his parents' homeland. "I want to write the story of the future of SenegalA country in west Africa with a population of 17 million. football."

Yesterday afternoon, Koulibaly began writing that story. Spurred on by thousands of drumming supporters, his nerveless volley against Ecuador took Senegal to a 2-1 victory in their final match of the group stage. For only the second time in history, the country is through to the knock-out stage.

It is only Senegal's third World Cup, but confidence is high after the "Lions of Teranga" won the African Cup of Nations in February.

Brazil legend Pele predicted an African country would "win the World Cup before the year 2000". In 2022, it still hasn't happened. But despite losing their star striker Sadio Mane to injury, Senegal are now "one of the favourites", according to former French champion Frank Leboeuf.

Senegal have already beaten the odds to get here. The West African country is the poorest nation playing in QatarA small country on the Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia. Like its larger neighbour, it has experienced rapid economic development but maintained strict conservative religious codes.. One-third of the population lives in poverty. The country ranks 170 out of 191 in terms of health, education and income.¹

Club football is almost non-existent. Instead, all its national stars play outside of Senegal - often in France, the former colonial power. But has Senegal risen to football greatness despite or because of poverty?

The country's name may come from the Portuguese word for a tribe that lived north of a great river flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Combined with the Gambia, the Senegal connects the continent's second-largest river basin. For centuries, trade and empire flourished along its banks.

As the most westerly point in Africa, Senegal became a key location for the Atlantic slave trade. Just off the coast from the capital Dakar lies Goree island. Here, some historians believe thousands of enslaved Africans passed through a "door of no return" before being shipped to the Americas.²

From the 15th Century, the Portuguese, Dutch, British and finally, French empires fought over Senegal. As a result, French became the official language. But the Senegalese speak over 30 other tongues, including the lingua francaFor example, Latin was the common language of the Roman Empire, French was the language of the European aristocracy and English has become the working language of international finance., Wolof.

Since its independence in 1960, Senegal has been peaceful and stable. It has had four democratically-elected presidents on a continent that has seen 214 successful coups since 1950. Known as the Land of Teranga - "good hospitality" in Wolof - Senegal attracts almost half a million tourists yearly to its historical sites and nature reserves.

But 75% of families suffer from chronic poverty.³ Most depend on fishing and farming for their livelihood, industries especially vulnerable to climate change. In the north, desertificationThe process through which fertile land is lost to drought or human activity. is turning farmland into dust. A huge tree-planting project called the Great Green Wall plans to halt the desert's march.

In football, money is not everything. For years, poorer Latin American teams have beaten richer European nations. Senegalese journalist Wahany Sambou says this "tough background" teaches footballers to seize every opportunity. So perhaps Africa will be next?

Yes: The beautiful game does not need fancy stadiums and corporate sponsors. It is played in poor backstreets and dusty scrubland all over the world. Here, footballers develop the skill and passion to win.

No: Street skills only take you so far. In the last four World Cups, teams from Western Europe won ten out of the top twelve places. Senegal's recent rise follows investment in football youth programmes.

Or... Money matters but so do other factors. Senegal benefits from homegrown talent and stars trained abroad. The coach Aliou Cisse played for Senegal and has been pivotal in giving the players confidence.