A controversial idea to swap Iran out of the 2026 World Cup and give their spot to Italy has been firmly rejected by both the U.S. government and Italian authorities, bringing clarity to months of uncertainty around Iran’s participation in the co-hosted tournament. Addressing reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explicitly stated that Iran’s national football team will be welcomed to the competition, drawing a clear line between Washington’s official policy and the unsolicited proposal put forward by Italian-American envoy Paolo Zampolli.
Rubio pushed back against widespread speculation that the U.S. had pushed for Iran’s expulsion from the tournament, emphasizing that no official from the U.S. government had moved to bar the country’s athletes from entering. He did, however, note that entry restrictions could apply to other members of the Iranian delegation who are alleged to have links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a group labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. and multiple other governments. “The problem with Iran, it would be not their athletes, it would be some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in, but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio clarified.
The unapproved proposal originated from Zampolli, a businessman and socialite who claims to have introduced former U.S. President Donald Trump to his wife Melania. Zampolli told the Financial Times he had pitched the idea of Italy taking Iran’s spot to Trump and FIFA, saying it would be a “dream” to see the four-time World Cup champions compete in the 2026 tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Italy failed to qualify for the event, falling to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout in their qualifying playoff final, marking the third consecutive World Cup the side has missed out on.
Italian officials quickly dismissed the proposal out of hand on Thursday. Sports Minister Andrea Abodi told local news agencies ANSA and AGI that the idea “first, is not possible; second, is not appropriate, you qualify on the pitch.” That stance was echoed by Luciano Buonfiglio, president of Italy’s Olympic Committee, who added: “I would feel offended. You have to earn your place in the World Cup.” The Iranian embassy in Rome also condemned the suggestion, calling it evidence of U.S. “moral bankruptcy” and noting Italy does not need “political privileges” to prove its footballing standing.
Iran’s participation in the 2026 World Cup has been clouded by geopolitical unrest following the outbreak of open conflict between Iran, the U.S. and Israel in late February. Earlier this year, the Iranian Football Federation confirmed it was in negotiations with FIFA to move the country’s scheduled group stage matches out of the U.S. and into Mexico. But FIFA President Gianni Infantino has repeatedly reaffirmed that Iran will remain in the tournament and play their matches at the venues assigned in the original draw, a position the governing body stood by Thursday when contacted by AFP, pointing to Infantino’s recent public comments. This is not the first time Zampolli has pushed this type of proposal: in 2022, he made an identical push to have Italy replace Iran at the Qatar World Cup amid protests in Iran, a suggestion that was ignored entirely by global football officials.