UEFA President Criticizes World Cup Expansion, Sparks Outcry. Several Nations Unite Against Him

Pulse Sports Team 07:54 - 15 June 2026

A group of thirteen football federations has issued a joint statement, with participants in the ongoing World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico pushing back against claims made by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. The Slovenian suggested that expanding the World Cup to 48 teams would lead to uninteresting matches.

Among the thirteen national teams are World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Uzbekistan. These nations have issued a statement refuting Čeferin's claims.

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"For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match. To suggest these matches are less significant is deeply disappointing and disregards the effort, sacrifice, and ambition of players, coaches, clubs, football officials, and fans worldwide," AFP quoted the statement as saying.

The 58-year-old UEFA president stated in the Slovenian newspaper Delo that expanding the number of participants from 32 to 48 would diminish the tournament's quality. The Slovenian also added that it is great to see smaller nations competing in the championship.

Most of the national teams cited in the joint statement are from Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria, and Tunisia. "Every team earned its place. Every fan has the right to dream. Every match matters to millions of people worldwide," the statement continued, also signed by representatives of the football federations of Haiti, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and South Africa.