Senegal Midfielder Quits National Team, Blames Coach After W/Cup Exit

Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has announced an indefinite break from international football, blaming the national team’s technical crew following the Teranga Lions’ dramatic elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 27-year-old said he will not represent Senegal again for as long as head coach Pape Thiaw and his coaching staff remain in charge.

Gueye made the announcement on social media shortly after Senegal threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Belgium after extra time in their Round of 16 encounter.

In a post written in French, the midfielder said he would later address the circumstances surrounding the team’s World Cup exit but insisted he had reached a decision regarding his international future.

“I’ll come back to speak about our elimination, but today I announce that as long as this technical staff remains, I will take a break from the national team,” he wrote.

Senegal had looked set to book a place in the quarter-finals after Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr scored first-half goals to hand the African champions a commanding 2-0 lead.

Belgium, however, mounted a remarkable comeback. Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scored to level the contest and force extra time before Tielemans converted a penalty in the 125th minute, awarded after a VAR review, to complete a stunning 3-2 victory.

The defeat brought an end to Senegal’s quest for their first World Cup knockout-stage victory since reaching the quarter-finals in their debut appearance at the tournament in 2002.

The fallout from the defeat has intensified scrutiny of Thiaw, whose substitutions while attempting to protect Senegal’s advantage have attracted widespread criticism from supporters and football pundits.

Responding to the criticism after the match, Thiaw defended his decisions, saying they were driven by player fatigue rather than tactical considerations.

“They were tired and couldn’t continue. Leaving them on the field would have been unprofessional on our part. We had to replace them like for like,” the coach said.

He dismissed suggestions that the substitutions alone cost Senegal the match.

“Of course, when you lose a match after leading 2-0, people will talk about the substitutions. But you can’t reduce everything to that. These changes were dictated primarily by fatigue rather than tactical considerations.”