Media reports revealed a controversial proposal presented to FIFA, stipulating the possibility of replacing the Iranian national team with the Italian national team in the 2026 World Cup finals, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
According to what was reported by the Financial Times newspaper, the author of the proposal is Paolo Zampolli, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, as this proposal comes in the context of political moves aimed at improving relations between the American administration and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia. Meloni, after previous tensions between the two parties.
Zampolli indicated that he discussed this idea with Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, considering that Italy’s participation in the tournament represents a “deserved opportunity,” in light of its long history in the World Cup, despite its failure to secure a qualification ticket after losing in the playoff.
On the other hand, no official positions were issued by the concerned authorities, whether from the White House or the Italian and Iranian federations, or even FIFA, regarding this proposal.
For its part, Iran confirmed its readiness to participate in the tournament, indicating that it is awaiting the decisions of the International Federation regarding some organizational aspects of its matches during the finals.