FIFA rejects proposal to include Italy in World Cup instead of Iran

Tensions with the US and Israel have raised doubts about Iran's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after which US President's special envoy Paulo Zampoli proposed that Italy be included in the tournament instead of Iran. However, FIFA has strongly rejected the proposal, making it clear that Iran will definitely play in the World Cup and has no intention of including Italy. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has already said that the Iranian team will participate in the tournament.

This proposal has been called inappropriate not only by FIFA but also by Italian authorities themselves. The Italian sports minister made it clear that a place in the World Cup is only awarded on the basis of performance on the field and not by political decisions. On the other hand, the Iranian embassy has also strongly criticized the proposal, calling it "moral bankruptcy" of the US.

It is worth mentioning here that four-time world champion Italy has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, which is a great shame for Italian football, and it was against this backdrop that this proposal came up, which was rejected by all sides.