‘There’s no such factor as an unimportant World Cup match,’ 13 World Cup participant nations say in an announcement.
Printed On 14 Jun 2026
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has been criticised by soccer governing our bodies in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean for reportedly saying that the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup has led to many “uninteresting” matches.
The soccer associations of Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Curacao, Haiti, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia mentioned in an announcement on Sunday that they “respectfully however firmly reject” Ceferin’s feedback.
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Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan certified for his or her first World Cup this yr, whereas DR Congo and Haiti reached soccer’s high occasion for the primary time since 1974. Curacao lost to Germany 7-1 on Sunday of their match opener.
The 2026 match is the biggest ever, that includes 48 nations, up from 32 in earlier iterations.
“For our international locations, there is no such thing as a such factor as an unimportant World Cup match,” the assertion mentioned. “Soccer doesn’t belong to a choose group of countries. Its power comes from its universality.”
“For a lot of international locations, participation within the FIFA World Cup will not be solely a sporting achievement. It’s a second that evokes a technology, accelerates soccer improvement and creates recollections that final a lifetime.”
The assertion didn’t quote the remark by Ceferin. However he was quoted by the Slovenian web sites Zurnal 24 and Dosi as remarking on the topic final Monday at a convention in Ljubljana.
“Now we have an enormous variety of matches which can be utterly uninteresting,” he mentioned, in line with Zurnal 24.
“Then again, even small international locations can take part and really feel the heartbeat of the World Cup, which is a giant factor,” he added.
The joint assertion mentioned that the debutants’ qualification for the match represents a “historic achievement and the belief of a dream shared by generations”.
“For nations equivalent to Congo and Haiti, returning to soccer’s greatest stage after a protracted absence carries a particular which means for hundreds of thousands of supporters who’ve waited years, and in some instances a long time, for this second.”
The assertion additionally underscored the years of labor and funding that go into qualifying for a World Cup. “Behind each nationwide staff stand whole communities and hundreds of thousands of people that see soccer as a supply of satisfaction, hope and unity.”
“To counsel that these matches are someway much less essential is deeply disappointing and fails to acknowledge the efforts, sacrifices and aspirations of gamers, coaches, golf equipment, soccer leaders and supporters internationally,” the assertion added.
It concluded by saying: “We imagine that each nation that qualifies deserves respect.
“Each staff has earned its place on advantage. Each supporter has the fitting to dream. Each match carries which means for hundreds of thousands of individuals world wide.
“We due to this fact reject the UEFA President’s feedback and reaffirm our perception that the expansion of soccer should proceed to create alternatives, encourage new generations and strengthen the actually international nature of our sport.”
