US envoy Zampolli suggests replacing Iran with Italy at 2026 FIFA World Cup

WASHINGTON, April 23. /TASS/. US President’s Special Envoy for Global Partnership Paolo Zampolli has suggested to American President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino to replace the national football team of Iran with the Italian team at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. On April 22, Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali stated that the Iranian national football team might still participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup if the safety of the team was ensured, however, no final decision was made as of yet. "I confirm I have suggested to Trump and Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup. I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-hosted tournament. With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion," the Financial Times quoted Zampolli as saying. On March 11, Iranian Sports Minister Donyamali stated that Iran would skip the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, on March 16, the Secretary General of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Windsor John, announced that the Iranian side hadn't officially refused to participate in the upcoming World Championship. On March 17, President of the Iranian Football Federation Mehdi Taj announced that the country’s football body was in talks with FIFA on relocating the team's matches at the 2026 World Cup from the United States to Mexico. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in turn that the world’s governing body of football, FIFA, will do everything in its power to accommodate the Iranian national team at the upcoming global football championship. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States between June 11 and July 19. The matches will be staged in 16 cities across the three countries. This will be the first FIFA World Cup featuring 48 teams instead of the previous 32-team format. The Iranian football team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and following the Draw was placed in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Iran was scheduled to play all of its three group stage matches in the United States. The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February·28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.