Leading Italian sports writers have pushed back against a proposal from a senior envoy of US President Donald Trump suggesting Italy should replace Iran at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, calling the idea unrealistic, unfair and against the spirit of sport.
According to a Financial Times report, Paolo Zampolli — an Italian-born special envoy for Trump — floated the idea that Italy could take Iran’s place at the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The suggestion came after Italy’s painful elimination from qualification following a defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European play-off final on March 31, leaving the four-time champions out of the World Cup for a third straight time.
The idea quickly stirred controversy in Italy, where many see the team’s absence as the result of sporting failure, not political misfortune.
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‘Complete nonsense’
Ivan Zazzaroni, editor-in-chief of Corriere dello Sport, strongly dismissed the proposal, saying it had no sporting or legal basis.
“Zampolli is not someone to be taken seriously,” he told Anadolu, calling the idea “complete nonsense” and “entirely unfounded.”
“We failed to qualify, we were eliminated, and that’s the end of it,” he said.
“Why should we be reinstated? On what grounds? Because we have won four World Cups? That may be true, but it is also a fact that we have missed three in a row.”
Zazzaroni stressed that FIFA’s rules are clear: if a qualified team withdraws, its place should go to another team from the same confederation — not to a European side that failed to qualify.
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