Italy failed to earn a place at the 2026 World Cup on the pitch. They may yet get one through the diplomatic equivalent of a consolation prize.

US special envoy Paolo Zampolli has asked both President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino to replace Iran with Italy at this summer’s tournament, the Financial Times reported on April 22, citing people familiar with the matter. The reasoning has nothing to do with soccer.

The proposal is an attempt to mend ties between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The two leaders fell out over the American president’s attacks on Pope Leo regarding the Iran war, according to the FT.

“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and [FIFA president Gianni] 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 US-hosted tournament. With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion.”

A World Cup spot — typically earned across two years of qualifying matches — would be reassigned not by results but by geopolitics, to smooth over a dispute between a president and a prime minister about a pope’s position on a war. FIFA, the White House, the Italian Football Federation, and Iran’s football federation did not respond to requests for comment, according to Reuters.

Whether FIFA would seriously consider removing a team that earned its place through the Asian qualifying process — and handing the berth to a nation that failed to qualify — is another question entirely. As diplomatic gestures go, this one would be audacious. As soccer governance, it would be without precedent. The tournament begins in June.

Sources