Italy rejects Iran’s replacement at the World Cup after suggestion by Trump official

Italian sports officials say four-time champions Italy are not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, following a suggestion to that effect by a Trump administration official.

Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup – the team is currently preparing to play in the US despite the war in the Middle East – and FIFA has insisted that group matches near Los Angeles and Seattle in June will go ahead as planned.

The Financial times reported that Paolo Zampolli, the US Special Envoy for Global Partnerships, proposed the swap to President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

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«Firstly, it is not possible. Secondly, it is not a good idea,» Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said on Thursday.

While Iran was one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, Italy missed out for the third consecutive tournament, resulting in the resignation of the national coach and federation president.

Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also rejected the idea of ​​taking Iran’s place.

“I would feel offended,” Buonfiglio said. “You have to earn it to go to the World Cup.”

Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti called the idea «shameful.»

Zampolli has long been part of the Trump family, having introduced then-Melania Knauss to Donald Trump at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998. He regularly posts on social media about his encounters with Infantino, calling him the «King of Football.» Trump appointed him special envoy for global partnerships last year.

«I am of Italian descent and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-organized tournament. With four titles they have the pedigree to warrant inclusion,» Zampolli told the newspaper. FT.

In March the New York Times reported that Zampolli had contacted a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official and informed him that the mother of his child was in the country illegally as the two were locked in a custody dispute. She was eventually deported.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment. The World Cup task force, housed under the Department of Homeland Security, said it had no comment. FIFA also does not want to comment.

The Iranian embassy in Rome denounced Zampolli’s comments in a comment on X.

“Football belongs to the people, not to politicians,” the embassy said. «Italy has earned its football qualities on the field, not through political maneuvers. The attempt to exclude Iran from the World Cup only shows the ‘moral bankruptcy’ of the United States, which is even afraid of the presence of eleven young Iranians on the playing field.»

Iran’s status in the World Cup, which starts in June, has been a source of debate and concern since the US and Israel launched military strikes on the country in February.

Trump discouraged Iran from participating in the tournament in March, citing security concerns.

FIFA has consistently said Iran will stick to the World Cup schedule set last December, and declined to negotiate any suggestions that the team’s matches should be moved to co-host Mexico.

An Iranian government spokesperson said on Wednesday that the men’s national team is preparing for «proud and successful participation» in the World Cup matches in the US.

Iran earned one of the eight guaranteed World Cup spots allocated to the Asian Football Confederation. Should Iran withdraw, the replacement should in theory be the United Arab Emirates, the highest-ranked Asian team that failed to qualify.

One possible element of uncertainty is the language of the World Cup tournament rules.

FIFA wrote that it may decide to replace a withdrawn team ‘with another association’, but without specifying that the replacement must come from the same continental confederation.

Published on April 23, 2026