The Cape Verde national football team and 12 other football federations, including Senegal, Curaçao, and Uzbekistan, rejected the statements of Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA president, on meaningless World Cup matches. In a joint statement, the federations defended that there is no such thing as a meaningless match in the World Cup. The position was presented in a joint statement signed by the football federations of Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, DR Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and South Africa. The signatory federations emphasized that football does not belong to a select group of nations and that its greatness lies precisely in its universality. Qualification for nations like Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Uzbekistan represents the realization of a shared dream by generations. And the symbolic value for DR Congo and Haiti, who return to the tournament after long absences, is immense. Behind each qualification, there are years of work and investment. Behind each national team, there are entire communities and millions of people who see football as a source of pride, hope, and unity. So the World Cup is the biggest football competition in the world, because it brings together different cultures, stories, and trajectories. But Ceferin's statements were rejected in a respectful but firm manner by the football federations. The federations defended that World Cup matches have historical and symbolic significance for the participating nations. And the statement from the football federations ends with a message of unity and solidarity among the nations participating in the World Cup.