Trump Envoy Wants Italy To Replace Iran At World Cup 

A FIFA World Cup trophy is displayed at the Akron Stadium(Photo by ULISES RUIZ / AFP)     Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569656851-0"); }); An envoy to US President Donald Trump has asked world football’s governing body FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the World Cup, according to the Financial Times. US special envoy Paolo Zampolli told the FT on Wednesday it would be a “dream” to see four-time World Cup winners Italy at the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada despite the fact they lost in a qualification playoff last month. The suggestion was an effort to repair ties between Trump and Giorgia Meloni after the Italian prime minister fell out with the president after criticising his attack on Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war, the newspaper reported. “I confirm I have suggested to Trump and (FIFA President Gianni) Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup. 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,” Zampolli said. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569913499-0"); }); READ ALSO: Iran Participating In World Cup, FIFA President Confirms Italy missed out on the World Cup for the third successive time after losing a penalty shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their qualifying playoff final. Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been thrown into doubt by the war with the US and Israel that broke out on February 28. The Iranian football federation (FFIRI) had said in April it was “negotiating” with FIFA to relocate the country’s World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587799169-0"); }); But Infantino told AFP last month, while attending Iran’s friendly against Costa Rica in Turkey, that Iran will be at the World Cup and that they will play “where they are supposed to be, according to the draw”. The FIFA chief reiterated that stance in Washington last week. When contacted by AFP about Zampolli’s suggestion on Thursday, FIFA referred to Infantino’s recent comments. In 2022, Zampolli made a similar suggestion, proposing to FIFA that Italy should replace Iran at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar because of the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on protesters at that time. His proposal fell on deaf ears. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587060870-0"); }); Zampolli is an Italian-American socialite, businessman and founded a modelling agency, who claims to have introduced Trump to his current wife Melania Trump. AFP Join Our Whatsapp Channel To join: Simply click on the link below & turn on notifications to get the latest updates Subscribe to Our Newsletter In This Article: Iran Trump World Cup More Stories Asia Slashes LNG Imports From Nigeria, Others As Closure Of Strait Cuts Off Cargoes Oil Up 4% On Uncertain Iran-US Ceasefire Prospects Iran Seizes Two Ships Seeking To Cross Strait Of Hormuz /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * / var disqus_shortname = 'channelstelevision'; // Required - Replace example with your forum shortname / * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */ (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/04/23/trump-envoy-wants-italy-to-replace-iran-at-world-cup/