Several football federations whose national teams qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, have strongly criticized comments made by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin regarding the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams.
In a joint statement released Sunday and sent to AFP, the football federations of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa rejected Čeferin’s remarks, in which he reportedly suggested that the expanded format would result in numerous “uninteresting” matches.
“We respectfully but firmly reject these statements,” the federations said. “For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match.”
The statement emphasized the historic significance of qualification for many nations participating in the tournament. For countries such as Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, reaching the World Cup represents a milestone achievement and the fulfillment of a dream shared across generations.
For others, including Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti, a return to football’s biggest stage after a prolonged absence carries special significance for millions of supporters who have waited years, and in some cases decades, for the opportunity.
The federations argued that portraying such matches as less meaningful demonstrates a lack of appreciation for the efforts and sacrifices made by players, coaches, clubs, administrators and fans around the world.
“To suggest that these matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing,” the statement said.
The signatories also stressed that football does not belong to a select group of nations and that every team competing at the World Cup has earned its place on merit.
The statement was issued in response to recent comments by Čeferin during an interview with Slovenian television, in which he reportedly argued that many matches at the expanded 2026 World Cup would lack competitiveness or spectator appeal.
The 2026 tournament, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first World Cup to feature 48 teams instead of 32. The competition includes 104 matches and runs through July 19.
Supporters of the expanded format argue that it offers greater global representation and creates opportunities for emerging football nations to compete on the sport’s biggest stage, while critics have raised concerns about fixture quality and tournament length.
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