2026 World Cup: 13 federations denounce comments attributed to Ceferin on the interest of certain matches

"The Football Federations of Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast and South Africa express their deep disappointment following the recent remarks made by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin regarding the expansion of the FIFA World Cup and his characterization of many matches as 'of no interest'," according to a joint statement from these 13 federations participating in the 2026 World Cup, issued on 14 June 2026.

Speaking on a television channel in his country, the Slovenian lawyer reportedly criticisced the expansion of the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, up from 32 previously (from 1998 to 2022). However, UEFA later clarified that its president had not made such remarks. Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan are participating in their first World Cup.

"For our countries, there is no such thing as an insignificant World Cup match. For our countries, qualifying for the World Cup represents a historic achievement and the realisation of a dream shared by generations. To suggest that some of our matches are somehow…