African and Arab federations condemn UEFA chief’s criticism of expanded World Cup

Football federations from several African and Arab nations that qualified for the 2026 World Cup have condemned UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin for questioning the quality of matches at the expanded 48-team tournament. In a joint statement, the federations of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast and South Africa said every match at the World Cup carries equal importance for the participating teams and their supporters. The federations noted that reaching the finals represented a historic achievement and a long-held dream for countries such as Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, while the return of the Congo and Haiti after long absences held great emotional value for millions of fans. They said attempts to diminish the significance of certain matches were disappointing and failed to reflect the efforts of players, coaches, clubs and supporters. The dispute stems from comments Čeferin made to Slovenian television, in which he referred to the 48-team format of the 2026 World Cup and said many of the matches were not of interest. The federations did not announce any further action in their statement.