US Special Envoy Paolo Zampolli has revealed he asked Donald Trump to add Italy to the 2026 World Cup, and that’s not as crazy as it may sound.
Zampolli has been in the US trying to mend relations between the countries after Trump’s bizarre attack on Pope Leo XIV which was called out by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Italian World Cup plea
Discussing their meetings, Zampolli told the Financial Times: “I confirm that I proposed to Trump and [FIFA President Gianni] Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup.
“I was born in Italy and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri participate in a tournament in the US.
“With four titles, they have the track record to justify participation.”
FIFA rules could allow Italy back in
While that may sound ridiculous, there are in fact no laws in place over replacements should Iran not play at the World Cup.
FIFA and Infantino would have free power to select an unqualified team, with Italy perhaps among the front-runners due to their success.
Teams haven’t missed the World Cup since the 1950s, but the most recent example came at the Club World Cup in the summer.
Club Leon couldn’t play due to multi-club ownership infringements, so FIFA replaced them with Los Angeles FC who they beat in qualifying.
The closest comparison would be the UAE who were the next best team in Iran’s qualification group.
However, with Infantino being half Italian and lobbing at the very top of government, there’s certainly reason to think the door isn’t completely shut on the European side.
In fact, the more pressing issue for them is likely whether Iran will play or not.
The president of the Iran Football Federation previously said their participation was unlikely following US-Israeli attacks on the country which killed their leader.
The minister of sport then seemed to definitively rule out playing, saying: “Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, there are no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup.
“We have been subjected to two wars in eight or nine months, and several thousand of our citizens have been killed.
“Therefore, we have no possibility of participating in this way.”
More recent updates suggest a change in mindset, with national team players who are in the Iranian league taking a training camp in Tehran to assess their fitness after the league was paused.
Infantino also gave an update, saying: “The Iranian team is definitely coming, yes.
“We naturally hope that the situation will be peaceful by then. That would certainly help. But Iran must come.”
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