A group of football federations from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean have criticized UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin for comments questioning the quality of matches at the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, the associations of Cape Verde, Congo, Curaçao, Haiti, Jordan and Uzbekistan expressed their solidarity with the other African countries Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
«Football does not belong to a select group of countries. Its strength comes from its universality,» the statement said, emphasizing that participation in the World Cup inspires generations, stimulates football development and creates lasting memories.
The federations did not quote Ceferin’s comments directly. However, Slovenian media outlets Zurnal24 and Dosi reported that the UEFA chief said at a conference in Ljubljana last week that the expanded tournament «contains a large number of matches that are completely uninteresting», while acknowledging that it gives smaller countries the opportunity to experience the World Cup.
The statement strongly defended emerging and returning countries. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan have qualified for their first World Cup, while Congo and Haiti have returned to the tournament for the first time since 1974.
“For these countries, qualification represents a historic achievement and the realization of a dream shared by generations,” the statement said. “To suggest that these matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing and ignores the efforts, sacrifices and ambitions of millions involved in football around the world.”
Published on June 15, 2026
