Could Italy Replace Iran in the World Cup?

The U.S. is at war with Iran, and Iran is scheduled to take part in the FIFA World Cup this summer in the U.S. But a top envoy to President Donald Trump has reportedly suggested swapping Iran with Italy, which did not qualify for the tournament but whose inclusion could help smooth diplomatic relations with the European nation.

The Financial Times reported Wednesday that Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. special representative for global partnerships, has suggested to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Trump that Iran be replaced with Italy in the World Cup, which is set to be held starting in June in several cities across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. 

“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup,” Zampolli told the FT. “I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a U.S.-hosted tournament. With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion.”

Unnamed individuals familiar with the matter told the FT that the proposal was a bid to repair the relationship between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Meloni has been a vocal supporter of the U.S. President, but the two fell out when Trump recently criticized Pope Leo XIV, an outspoken opponent of the war. Meloni had called the verbal lashing on the Pontiff “unacceptable,” but Trump fired back, saying she was the “unacceptable” one as she “doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if they had the chance.”

Zampolli’s attempt at diplomacy via soccer would particularly benefit Italy, whose national team suffered a humiliating defeat in late March to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The loss, which meant the country that won the World Cup in 2006 had now failed to qualify for the third straight time, sparked public outrage and even forced Italy’s soccer federation chief to resign.

But Iran reiterated this week that it remains fully prepared to participate in the World Cup.

“The Iranian team is coming, for sure, yes,” Infantino, the FIFA President and a Trump ally, said at a conference in D.C. last week. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”

Could FIFA replace Iran?

Rules on replacing a team are outlined in Article 6 of the FIFA 2026 World Cup regulations

According to regulation 6.5, “if a Participating Member Association withdraws or a match cannot be played or is abandoned as a result of force majeure, the authorised FIFA organising body (including the Tournament Operation Centre) shall decide on the matter at its sole discretion and take whatever action is deemed necessary.”

Regulation 6.7 then states that if any member team either withdraws or is excluded from the World Cup, FIFA may decide to “replace the Participating Member Association in question with another association.”

FIFA has previously used such discretionary powers. In March 2025, months before the 2025 Club World Cup kicked off, it booted out Mexican team Club León for failing to meet criteria on multi-club ownership. Appeals were rejected, but in May, FIFA said the team replacing León’s spot would be determined through a one-game playoff, which was won by MLS team Los Angeles FC against Mexican team Club América.

What Iran, Trump, and FIFA have said

Iran, which qualified for the World Cup back in 2025, is scheduled to play its matches in the U.S. 

But after the war broke out in late February, and Iran’s revered former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, the country’s sports and youth minister said that it was “not possible” for the team to join the tournament, amid safety and security risks. “We cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Iran’s soccer federation president Mehdi Taj said at the time. Iran’s soccer federation requested that its matches be relocated, which FIFA rejected.

Infantino said in a post on Instagram on March 10 that Trump assured Iran was “welcome” to compete in the World Cup, and Trump echoed this on March 12, though the U.S. President added that while Iran could fly to the U.S., he believed it was not “appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.” 

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told the FT that the Administration “is doing everything needed to support a successful World Cup while at the same time upholding U.S. law and the highest standards of national security and public safety in the conduct of our visa process.”

Iranians are among the many nationals currently barred from entering the U.S., though Trump had said in his June 2025 sweeping travel ban proclamation that athletes, members of athletic teams, and persons with a “necessary support role” are exempted. Questions about the rule, however, arose after the State Department rejected visas of some of the Iranian delegates for the World Cup draw last December. “Every single decision is a national security decision,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA task force, told the Associated Press at the time.

“Sports should be outside of politics,” Infantino said at the conference. “Now, we don’t live on the moon; we live on planet Earth. But if there is nobody else that believes in building bridges and in keeping them intact and together, well, we are doing that job.”