Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has announced he is stepping away from international football for as long as head coach Pape Thiaw remains in charge, following the Teranga Lions’ heartbreaking exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 27-year-old made the announcement on social media shortly after Senegal threw away a two-goal lead to suffer a dramatic 3-2 extra-time defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16.
Writing in French, Gueye revealed he would address the team’s World Cup elimination at a later time but made it clear that he would not represent Senegal under the current technical crew.
“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 looked destined for a quarter-final berth after first-half goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr handed them a commanding 2-0 advantage.
However, Belgium staged a stunning comeback. Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans struck late to force extra time before Tielemans converted a 125th-minute penalty—awarded after a VAR review—to complete a remarkable 3-2 turnaround.
The defeat ended Senegal’s hopes of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since their historic debut campaign in 2002.
Gueye’s decision has intensified pressure on head coach Pape Thiaw, whose substitutions while protecting the two-goal lead have come under widespread criticism.
Responding to the backlash after the match, Thiaw defended his decisions, insisting they were driven by player fatigue rather than tactical errors.
“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,” Thiaw said.
“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.”
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