Could Italy really replace Iran at World Cup 2026?

Fifa is still aiming for Iran to play at the 2026 World Cup , despite the suggestion that Italy could replace them , illustrating how the situation is reaching ever deeper levels of politicisation. With the US-Iran conflict still unresolved, Paolo Zampolli – an envoy to the United States president – confirmed to the Financial Times that he floated the idea of the four-time winners stepping in to both Donald Trump and Fifa president Gianni Infantino. “I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-hosted tournament,” Zampolli said.

“With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion. ” The idea has been privately dismissed by numerous football sources as “rubbish” and “never going to happen”. Donald Trump’s envoy has suggested replacing Iran with Italy at the World Cup (AFP/Getty) The primary reason for this is the will to keep Iran in it as long as possible.

If the conflict ultimately made the situation untenable, however, it is seen as absurd for Fifa to just drop in another country of their choosing unlinked to Iran in qualification. The governing body could even open itself up to claims in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. There would be no good reason, for example, for Italy to replace Iran rather than Ireland or Wales, despite the history.

Most football administrators see the “fairest” way to replace Iran as giving the prospective spot to the next team down in their Asian qualification process. This would be the United Arab Emirates, who finished third in the relevant qualification group, just missing out on direct qualification. This would be based on Iran’s presence essentially being erased from this campaign, so just moving the rest of the teams up the table.