13 2026 World Cup participants issued a joint statement criticizing the UEFA president
Thirteen countries participating in the World Cup issued a joint statement strongly condemning the remarks made by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.
The head of the European football union had previously claimed publicly that expanding the number of teams in the World Cup would lead to uninteresting and meaningless matches.
An official protest against the soccer official’s remarks was lodged by representatives of the federations of Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Both first-time participants and regulars in the tournament view the UEFA official’s stance as a sign of disrespect toward less prominent national teams. In their opinion, every match at this level is of immense importance to the global sport.
The joint statement from the national associations takes a clear and uncompromising stance on the importance of the World Cup for the development of soccer infrastructure worldwide.
Representatives of the countries called on European soccer officials to take into account the interests of fans from other continents.
They emphasized that the right to compete at the highest level cannot be a privilege reserved for just a few top national teams.
“We firmly but respectfully reject these comments. For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match. For Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Uzbekistan, qualifying for the World Cup is a historic achievement and the realization of a dream for generations. For nations such as the DR Congo and Haiti, returning to the biggest stage in soccer after a long absence holds special significance for millions of fans who have waited for this moment for years, and in some cases, decades,” the statement reads.
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