UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has stirred discontent among a group of 13 World Cup teams following his comments regarding the expansion of the global football tournament from 32 teams up from 2022 to 48 teams this year.

As quoted in a Slovenian newspaper Delo, he questioned the quality of the tournament. Saying “We have a lot of matches that are completely uninteresting” however adding that in a separate interview that “On the other hand even small countries can participate and feel the pulse of the World Cup, which is a big thing.”

Responding to his remarks, 13 football associations including World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curacao and Uzbekistan, said they “respectfully but firmly reject” Ceferin’s comments”

“For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match, “To suggest that these matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing and fails to recognise the efforts, sacrifices and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, football leaders and supporters across the world.”

According to them, the joint statement by the 13 teams said all nations participating at the World Cup “deserve respect.”

“Every team has earned its place on merit. Every supporter has the right to dream. Every match carries meaning for millions of people around the world,” the statement said.

“We therefore reject the UEFA President’s comments,” it added.

Other signatories to the statement included the football federations of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast and South Africa.

When contacted by AFP for comment, a UEFA spokesperson did not explicitly issue a denial of Ceferin’s comments but referred reporters to an interview the European football chief gave last week, where he made no mention of the expansion of the World Cup.

World Cup opening ceremony rituals

FIFA announced a few days before the first tournament's opening that they were introducing a new pre-match ceremony for the 2026 World Cup to make the experience more exciting and engaging for fans. The ceremony, they said, features music from the official World Cup album and was set to transform the entire stadium into part of the spectacle through a 360-degree presentation that can be enjoyed from every section of the venue.

The redesigned pre-match ceremony marked a shift from the traditional way players had lined up ahead of kick-off.

Under the new system, players walked onto the pitch alongside youth programme escorts through a special arch positioned near their team tunnel. The ceremony also featured several visual displays, including a large banner at the centre circle, handheld national flags and prominent FIFA branding across the field.

In a notable change, all players named in the matchday squad, not just the starting eleven, gathered around the centre-circle banner during the national anthems. FIFA said the move would allow every squad member to share in the pride and emotion of representing their country on football's biggest stage.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the changes were intended to enhance the matchday experience and create a stronger sense of unity, pride and emotion among players, officials and supporters.

After the anthems, the traditional pre-match rituals continued, including handshakes, team photographs of the starting line-ups and the captains' coin toss.

FIFA also indicated that later in the tournament the ceremony would incorporate additional elements such as coloured smoke and pyrotechnics. The youth programme and players' tunnel were also expected to feature branding integrations involving several FIFA commercial partners, including adidas, Coca-Cola, Kia, Mengniu, Qatar Airways and Quaker.