Africa Cup of Nations 2025 fallout pushes Aubameyang out of Gabon squad

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has announced his withdrawal from the Gabon national team, bringing a fresh and potentially final break to his international career. The 37-year-old captain and record scorer of the Panthères made the decision public in a television interview on Tuesday, 1 September. His announcement follows months of tension over his treatment during and after the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 in Morocco.

Aubameyang said his exclusion from the squad, followed by his return after Gabon had been eliminated, amounted to humiliation. “They humiliated and smeared me even though I played in the AFCON while injured,” he said. He described the episode as the point at which his frustration became impossible to contain. “It was the last straw and I prefer to stop here,” he added.

The dispute is linked to Gabon’s unsuccessful campaign in Morocco. The Panthères left the tournament in the group stage after losing all three matches. Their elimination was confirmed by a 3-2 defeat against Côte d’Ivoire in their final game. Aubameyang, despite his position as captain and his standing as the leading scorer in Gabon’s history, felt he was treated as one of the figures responsible for the failure.

The fallout went beyond the player’s exclusion. President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said the national team’s problems had weakened part of the country’s national identity. The government then dissolved the technical staff, suspended the national team until further notice and placed Aubameyang and veteran defender Bruno Ecuele Manga, 38, on the sidelines. The decision to remove the two experienced internationals triggered strong anger among Gabon supporters.

Aubameyang had already challenged the idea that the team’s difficulties could be reduced to one player. After the tournament, he said he believed the problems were “much deeper than the little person that I am”. His latest statement shows that the disagreement over responsibility was not resolved by his subsequent return to the group. Instead, the exclusion and reintegration became the central reason for his departure.

His withdrawal removes Gabon’s captain, most prolific international scorer and one of its most recognisable football figures. It also closes, at least for now, another chapter in a relationship that had already included a temporary departure from the national team. The decision carries added weight because Aubameyang had remained a senior reference point during a period of institutional and sporting uncertainty.

The timing leaves new head coach Sébastien Migné with a major leadership decision. He must prepare Gabon for the next Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures without the player who has led the side and scored more goals for it than anyone else. The reports do not identify a replacement captain or set out the coach’s response to Aubameyang’s decision, leaving those questions for the next stage of the team’s reconstruction.

Gabon will not be at the 2026 World Cup, so the next clearly stated objective is qualification for the following Africa Cup of Nations. That tournament is scheduled to take place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027. The qualifying campaign will therefore begin against the background of a suspended team, a changed technical structure and the absence of two senior players who had represented continuity.

Aubameyang’s international withdrawal also coincides with a new club challenge. After leaving Marseille for a second time, he joined Deportivo La Coruña, who have returned to Spain’s top flight after a long absence. He has already scored three goals for the club. His decision to step away from Gabon now separates his remaining European career from the national-team rebuilding process, while the Panthères must move forward without the captain whose treatment after AFCON 2025 brought the crisis into the open.