"Expanding the World Cup" sparks controversy .. and Algeria stands with Morocco in a "protest statement"

Many "football federations" from countries whose teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup, including Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, condemned today, Sunday, the statements of Slovenian Aleksander Čeferin, president of the European Football Association (UEFA), who considered that expanding the World Cup to 48 teams leads to the holding of "uninteresting matches."

In a joint statement sent by the federations of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt, as well as Cape Verde, Curacao, Uzbekistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and South Africa, to Agence France-Presse, they stated: "We respectfully but firmly reject these statements. For our countries, there is no match in the World Cup that lacks significance."

The aforementioned federations added: "For Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, participating in the World Cup represents a historic achievement and the realization of a dream shared by generations; while returning to the biggest football stage in the world for countries like the Congo and Haiti, after a long absence, holds special meaning for millions of fans who have waited for this moment for years, even decades."

They continued: "The suggestion that these matches are in any way less important is extremely disappointing and reflects a lack of appreciation for the efforts, sacrifices, and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, officials, and fans around the world."

The federations that signed the statement emphasized that "football does not belong to a limited group of countries," stressing that "every qualified nation deserves respect and has earned its place fairly."

They clarified that they are responding to recent statements by the UEFA president, who stated in an interview with Slovenian television that many matches in the 2026 World Cup are "uninteresting," noting that this edition, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will feature 48 teams and 104 matches until July 19.