Gueye Leaves Senegal Team After World Cup Exit, Points Fingers at Coaches

Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has said he will stop playing for the national team as long as head coach Pape Thiaw is still in charge. This comes after Senegal's shocking loss in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 27-year-old shared his decision on social media right after Senegal blew a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Belgium in their Round of 16 match.

In a post written in French, Gueye mentioned he would discuss the team’s exit later but made it clear he would not play under the current 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.

Senegal was in a strong position for the quarter-finals after first-half goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr gave the African champions a solid 2-0 lead. But Belgium made a surprising comeback, with Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scoring late to send the game into extra time. Tielemans then scored a penalty in the 125th minute, awarded after a VAR review, sealing a dramatic 3-2 victory for Belgium.

This defeat ended Senegal’s chance to get their first knockout-stage win at the World Cup since they reached the quarter-finals in 2002 on their first try.

Gueye’s choice has put more pressure on Thiaw, whose decisions during the game have received heavy criticism from fans and commentators. Many are questioning his substitutions while trying to protect a two-goal lead.

After the match, Thiaw defended his choices, saying the substitutions were due to player fatigue, not tactics. “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 explained.

“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.”