FIFA has made a swift decision after Trump's representative proposed Italy participate in the 2026 World Cup instead of Iran.
On 23 April 2026, BBC Sport reported that Paulo Sampolli, special envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, suggested that Italy's national team should be allowed to compete in the 2026 World Cup finals in place of Iran.
The 2026 World Cup, held from 11 June to 19 July, will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. There is uncertainty about whether Iran will participate due to ongoing conflicts involving the U.S. and Israel related to the prolonged Middle East war.
This prompted Paulo Sampolli to propose through the U.S. Financial Times that Italy, a four-time world champion, be granted a spot in the 2026 World Cup instead of Iran, after Italy failed to qualify by losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the playoff round, missing a third consecutive World Cup.
Sampolli’s plan was suggested as a way to ease tensions between the U.S. and Italy, following criticism by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Donald Trump's remarks about Pope Leo XIV.
However, BBC Sport recently reported that FIFA has no plans to allow Italy to replace Iran in the 2026 World Cup finals. Although FIFA did not officially comment on Sampolli’s proposal, it emphasized a statement made last week by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Gianni Infantino affirmed, "The Iranian national team will definitely participate. We hope the situation will calm down by then, which will certainly help. But if Iran wants to represent its people, they must participate in the tournament."
"They have already qualified and are a very good team. They want to play, and they deserve to play. Sport should be above politics."
In March, Iran attempted to negotiate with FIFA to relocate their three Group G matches away from the United States to Mexico, after Donald Trump expressed willingness to welcome Iran to the 2026 World Cup but indicated he could not guarantee their safety.
Meanwhile, Article 6 of FIFA’s World Cup regulations states, "FIFA may decide to replace a participating country with another at its sole discretion if a team withdraws or is disqualified from the competition."
