Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has announced that he will take a break from international football while the current national team coaching staff remains in charge, days after the Lions of Teranga were eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup by Belgium.
The midfielder made the announcement on Instagram following Senegal’s dramatic 3-2 defeat in the Round of 32, a match in which Belgium completed a comeback before Romelu Lukaku scored the decisive late goal to send the African side out of the tournament.
Gueye’s comments have added to growing speculation over tensions within the Senegal camp, with the player’s decision coming amid increased scrutiny of the team’s World Cup campaign and its management.
“I will come back later to speak about the elimination… but today I announce that as long as this coaching staff remains, I will take a break from the national team,” Gueye wrote on Instagram.
The statement represents the latest development in a difficult tournament for Senegal, whose ambitions before the competition had extended far beyond reaching the knockout stages.
Ahead of the World Cup, the Lions of Teranga had spoken openly about challenging for the title rather than simply progressing deep into the tournament.
Gueye himself had underlined those ambitions before the competition, saying Senegal were not aiming merely to “reach the semifinals,” but instead wanted to compete for the World Cup trophy.
However, those hopes faded as the campaign became increasingly challenging following defeats during the group stage and mounting attention on issues surrounding the national team delegation.
In the weeks of the tournament, several African media outlets reported concerns over the organisation and management of the Senegal camp in the United States.
Among the claims were reports that head coach Pape Thiaw had been in charge of the national team for several months without a formal contract or a completed salary agreement.
Senegalese media also reported dissatisfaction with the team’s living arrangements during the competition. According to those reports, the delegation travelled without an official chef, while some players were said to have ordered food from outside their hotels after expressing unhappiness with the meals provided internally.
Other reports suggested there was frustration over cost-cutting measures and a number of management decisions affecting members of the delegation.
The issues reported during the World Cup revived memories of Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco earlier in the year.
During that tournament, disputes involving logistics, organisation and security repeatedly attracted attention before the campaign came to a chaotic conclusion.
Against that backdrop, Gueye’s public declaration has intensified questions about the future direction of the national team following its World Cup exit.
His decision to suspend his involvement with the national side while the current coaching staff remains in place is likely to add further pressure at a time when Senegal are already facing increased scrutiny after their elimination.
The announcement comes in the immediate aftermath of a tournament that began with high expectations but ended in disappointment, with Belgium’s dramatic comeback bringing Senegal’s World Cup journey to an end and prompting fresh debate over the stability of the national team’s current project.
