Every match matters' as World Cup debutants respond to UEFA's Ceferin

World Cup debutants from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean have expressed their "profound disappointment" over UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin's comments suggesting that some matches in the expanded 48-team tournament may be "uninteresting." The statement from teams like Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Uzbekistan emphasized that every qualified nation deserves respect. Ceferin acknowledged the value of larger tournaments for smaller teams but his remarks have frustrated non-European nations. Haiti recently played in their World Cup opener, losing 1-0 to Scotland, while Curaçao scored their first-ever World Cup goal but fell to Germany 7-1. Cape Verde and Uzbekistan are set to begin their campaigns against Spain and Colombia, respectively, while Congo will face Portugal.

• 8:11 AMYahoo Sports — 'Every match matters:' World Cup debutants slam UEFA boss Čeferin