Thirteen national teams and football associations criticize UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin over reported comments suggesting the expanded 2026 World Cup will produce many “completely uninteresting” matches. According to a joint statement cited by multiple outlets, the associations “respectfully but firmly reject” Čeferin’s remarks after they were attributed to him by Slovenian newspaper Delo. The teams say there is “no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match” for their countries and argue that every match carries meaning for players, coaches, clubs, football leaders and supporters worldwide. They also state that all participating nations deserve respect and that every team earns its place on merit.
The reports note that Čeferin is also said to have made a separate point that smaller countries can still participate and experience the World Cup, but the joint statement focuses on rejecting the negative characterization of certain matches. The federations listed include associations from countries such as Cape Verde, Curacao, Uzbekistan, and others across Africa. When contacted by AFP for comment, UEFA did not explicitly deny the remarks but referred reporters to a recent interview where, per the report, he did not mention World Cup expansion.
