Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye has declared a self-imposed exile from the Senegal national team, publicly announcing he will not return while the current coaching staff remains in charge — a bombshell that has deepened the crisis following the team's elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Gueye, 27, broke his silence on Instagram after Senegal were knocked out in the round of 32 by Belgium, suffering a 3-2 defeat in extra-time. "I'll be back to give you a few words regarding the elimination… but I announce today that as long as it's this technical staff, I'll take a break from the selection," he wrote.

A collapse that cost Senegal dearly

Senegal had looked set for a place in the last 16, with Habiib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr giving them a comfortable advantage. A Round of 16 meeting with USA appeared to be within reach.

But the tie turned on a brutal two-and-a-half-minute spell in which Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans struck to level the match, stunning the Senegalese side and erasing what had been a two-goal cushion.

Tielemans then completed the turnaround deep into extra-time, converting a penalty awarded after a VAR review — the Aston Villa midfielder winning and scoring the decisive spot-kick in the 125th minute to send Rudi Garcia's Belgium through.

Gueye's substitution under scrutiny

Adding fuel to the fire is the timing of Gueye's removal from the pitch. Head coach Pape Thiaw withdrew the midfielder shortly after the hour mark, when Senegal still led by two goals, replacing him with Monaco's Lamine Camara. The subsequent collapse has intensified scrutiny of that decision.

Gueye's public stance puts Thiaw in a difficult position ahead of future qualifiers and raises serious questions about the unity of the squad as Senegal look to regroup after a painful early exit.