2026 World Cup Teams Slam UEFA President for Unattractive Match Commentary

JAKARTA - A total of 13 2026 World Cup teams from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean have criticized UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin for allegedly saying the expanded tournament to 48 teams created uninteresting matches.

In a joint statement released by the South African Football Association, 13 countries expressed deep disappointment following recent comments made by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin regarding the expansion of the 2026 World Cup and its characterization of many matches as uninteresting.

"For our country, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match. To say that these matches are less important is very disappointing and fails to recognize the efforts, sacrifices, and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, football leaders, and supporters around the world," the statement read.

Ceferin's comments were quoted by Slovenian websites, Zurnal 24 and Dosi, on Monday last week at a conference in Ljubljana.

"We reject the comments of the UEFA President and reiterate our belief that the growth of football must continue to create opportunities, inspire new generations, and strengthen the true global nature of our game," the statement added.

Joining South Africa in the statement were World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, along with Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Tunisia.

"For Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, qualification for the 2026 World Cup is a historic achievement and the realization of a dream that has been dreamed of by several generations."

"For countries like Congo and Haiti, returning to the biggest football stage after a long absence has a special meaning for millions of supporters who have waited for years, for decades, for this moment," the statement said.