Amadou Onana said in June 2026 that he did not want to play against Senegal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, putting his personal history right in the middle of Belgium's meeting with the country where he was born. He left Dakar as a child and has already been tied to Belgium at senior level, so this is not a simple selection story.
“S’il te plait, ne me fais pas jouer contre eux,” he said. That line came after years of carrying a Belgium shirt against the backdrop of a Senegal upbringing, and it lands at a moment when the draw has placed the two sides on the same path.
Dakar to Belgium
Onana was born on August 16, 2001, in Dakar and moved to Belgium at the age of 11. He made his senior international debut in June 2022, then joined Belgium's squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and made two appearances there. By the time UEFA Euro 2024 arrived, he played every minute of Belgium's campaign.
That timeline explains why the meeting carries more weight than a standard group game. Onana chose Belgium, and since his senior debut in June 2022 he has been cap-tied to that decision. The World Cup now puts him in front of the country of his birth while he remains fully committed to Belgium.
Belgium and Senegal
The matchup also comes with recent history behind it. In August 2023, Onana was subjected to online racist abuse while he was at Everton, and the abuse was serious enough to trigger a police investigation. That episode sits in the background of any discussion about how he approaches a game like this.
His club move adds another layer to the picture. Aston Villa signed him from Everton in July 2024 for a reported £50 million, and his current market value sits at approximately €45 million as of mid-2026. The football side is settled. The emotional side is not, because the fixture brings Belgium, Senegal, and Onana's own path together in one game.
For Belgium, the practical takeaway is straightforward: Onana is available for the matchup, but he has already said the one opponent he would rather avoid. For Senegal, the next encounter is with a player whose career has been shaped by Dakar, Belgium, and the pressure that comes with facing both in the same tournament.
