Paolo Zampolli confirms that he discussed the topic with the presidents of the United States and FIFA.
A special envoy of US President Donald Trump has asked FIFA to allow Italy to replace Iran in the World Cup, which takes place this summer, the Financial Times reported.
The initiative by special envoy Paolo Zampolli was presented to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and, according to the British newspaper, is part of an attempt to restore relations between Donald Trump and the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, following the president’s recent attacks on Pope Leo XIV.
I confirm that I suggested to Trump and Infantino that Italy replace Iran in the World Cup. I am Italian by birth and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri in a tournament organized in the USA. With four titles, they have the necessary history to justify their inclusion,” special correspondent Paolo Zampolli told the Financial Times on Wednesday.
Italy missed out on the World Cup after losing the decisive playoff match against Bosnia-Herzegovina in March, marking the third consecutive absence of the Italians from the final stage of the tournament.
Iran secured qualification for the competition, although it requested that the group stage matches be moved out of the United States following the start of the conflict in the Middle East.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated during a visit to the Iranian national team’s training center in Turkey in March that all matches will be played as scheduled, offering assistance to the team in preparing for the tournament.
FIFA regulations stipulate that, in the event of a qualified team withdrawing, the organization is free to designate a replacement.
If a participating federation withdraws from or is excluded from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA will decide at its sole discretion on the matter and take such measures as it deems necessary. FIFA may decide, in particular, to replace that federation with another, states the tournament regulations.
This could allow Iran to be replaced by a team that does not belong to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), even though the spot belongs to the AFC.
On April 30th, FIFA will bring together the 211 national federations at the organization’s 76th ordinary congress in Vancouver, Canada. The possible replacement of the Iranian national team in the final phase of the World Cup is not on the agenda for the FIFA Congress.
The competition, which takes place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will begin on June 11. Iran will play its first game on June 15 in Los Angeles, California, against New Zealand.