Pape Gueye announces break from Senegal team after World Cup fiasco

Senegalese midfielder, Pape Gueye, has announced that he will no longer feature for the Teranga Lions following their elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Senegal suffered a cruel loss to Belgium in the Round of 32, abruptly ending their journey in the tournament.

They took a 2-0 lead through Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr in the early stages of the game, but lost their defensive shape and concentration.

https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/12-Dead-150-Rescued-GNFS-gives-breakdown-of-June-29-flood-tragedy-2041119

The Red Devils leveled the score at 2-2 within four minutes through strikes from Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans. An extra-time penalty from Aston Villa’s midfielder sealed a 3-2 win for Belgium.

Pape Gueye featured prominently for most of the match but was substituted for fresh legs as the game progressed into extra time.

In a post on Instagram reacting to the defeat, Gueye surprisingly announced that he will no longer feature for the team going forward.

The Villarreal midfielder stressed that his decision is tied to the current technical team’s presence and may change in the future if they are no longer in charge.

He added that he will publicly share his opinion on the game, address issues that occurred, and speak on concerns relating to the team.

"I’ll be back to give my thoughts on the elimination… but today I announce that as long as this technical team remains, I shall take a break from this team," he wrote on Instagram.

Read the tweet below:

🚨 🇸🇳 Pape Gueye on IG: "I'll be back to give my thougts on the elimination... but today I announce that as long as this technical team remain, I shall take a break from this team." 👀 pic.twitter.com/M2oOTmbzpA

— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) July 2, 2026