World Cup: Senegal star Gueye quits national team after Belgium collapse

Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has announced that he will no longer play for the national team as long as the current technical crew remains in charge.

Gueye made the announcement shortly after Senegal’s painful 3-2 defeat to Belgium in their 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout clash.

The Teranga Lions looked set for victory after taking a 2-0 lead through Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.

But Belgium fought back dramatically, with Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scoring late goals to force extra time before Tielemans converted a decisive penalty after a VAR review.

The result ended Senegal’s World Cup campaign and sparked immediate anger within the squad.

In a post written in French, Gueye said he would speak later about Senegal’s elimination but made it clear that he was stepping away from the national team under the present coaching staff.

“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.

His statement has thrown Senegal football into fresh crisis, with attention now shifting from the defeat itself to the future of head coach Pape Thiaw and his backroom staff.

Thiaw has come under heavy criticism for his substitutions after Senegal had taken control of the match.

Some fans and observers blamed the changes for weakening the team and allowing Belgium back into the contest.

The coach, however, defended his decisions after the match, insisting that the players he removed were tired and could no longer continue.

“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.

He admitted that the substitutions would naturally come under scrutiny because Senegal lost after leading 2-0, but insisted fatigue, not poor tactics, forced his hand.

“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,” he added.

Gueye’s public decision to step away has now deepened the pressure on the Senegalese football authorities.

What began as a heartbreaking World Cup exit has quickly become a dressing-room crisis, with one of the team’s senior players openly refusing to continue under the current technical crew.

Senegal had hoped to make history by going deeper in the tournament, but their collapse against Belgium has left the country facing bigger questions about leadership, tactics and unity inside the national team.