The Lions of Teranga, who were participating in their fourth World Cup, saw their journey come to an end after losing 3-2 against Belgium in the Round of 32.
Senegal had kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 defeat against France, lost their second Group I fixture 3-2 against Norway, before hammering Iraq 5-0 to qualify for the knockout stage.
Against Belgium, despite taking a 2-0 lead courtesy of Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr, Senegal failed to protect the lead as the Reds responded with a comeback.
Youri Tielemans scored two quick goals to make it 2-2 before Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to stun Senegal with a late goal in the 86th minute.
The former Chelsea goalkeeper was involved in the game, having suffered a knee injury against Norway, and was replaced by Mory Diaw.
Senegal must have courage to face reality
“This elimination is a failure,” Mendy wrote on his social media pages. “We had the qualities to go further. We didn’t.
“I gave everything to heal my injury and return in time to help the team until the end, but it wasn’t enough. Now, we have to have the courage to face reality.
“A competition of this level demands a deep self-examination. Not a superficial one, but an honest and demanding review of everything that has been done: what allowed us to progress, but above all, what prevented us from achieving our goal.”
Mendy continued: “The most uncomfortable truths are often the ones that lead to the most progress.
“If we want to reach the highest levels, we must be willing to ask ourselves the right questions, make the right decisions, and raise our standards.
“Senegal deserves a team and a federation capable of turning failures into lessons and lessons into victories. It is up to us to prove ourselves worthy.”
‘I feel indebted to Senegal’
Meanwhile, after announcing that he was stepping down from national team duties, Senegal midfielder Papa Gueye has come out to explain his decision.
After Senegal failed to beat Belgium, Gueye came out to say: “I will come back to say a few words about the elimination…”
“But I announce today that as long as it is the technical staff, I will take a break from the national team.”
Gueye has now set the record straight about his situation. He said: “I love my country and the national team more than anything; I know what it means to wear our colours.
“I have always put the national team before my personal interests, and I will continue to do so. I feel indebted to Senegal and all Senegalese people, and I know we failed you during this tournament; you deserve much better from us.
“Every decision I have made recently has been solely to ensure things move in the right direction, both now and especially for the future of Senegalese football.”
Gueye concluded: “Thank you to all the fans for your loyalty during this tournament; we will work very hard to come back stronger, God willing.”
Senegal will shift their focus to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. Senegal have been drawn into Group J alongside Mozambique, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
The qualifying matches will be held across three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027, with the top two teams from the group advancing to the tournament.
The 2027 edition will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania and is scheduled to take place from June 19th to July 18th, 2027. A total of 48 nations are competing in this qualification group stage, divided into 12 groups of four teams.
