Trump envoy asks FIFA swap
- U.S. envoy Paolo Zampolli asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy as a 2026 World Cup host nation. (foxnews.com) - The request was framed as trying to repair relations with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. (foxnews.com) - The move mixes sports diplomacy with broader geopolitical messaging about Iran and Western partners. (foxnews.com)
Paolo Zampolli, a U.S. special envoy for President Donald Trump, said he asked FIFA to remove Iran from the 2026 World Cup and give the place to Italy. (nytimes.com) Zampolli told The Athletic he made the request to Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, arguing that four-time champion Italy “have the pedigree” to be there. Multiple outlets, citing the Financial Times, reported that he also cast the move as a way to improve Trump’s strained ties with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. (nytimes.com, abc.net.au) The request collides with FIFA’s existing tournament plan. FIFA lists Iran among the qualified teams, and its published schedule has Iran opening Group G against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. (fifa.com, fifa.com) Italy is not in that field. FIFA’s team list for the 48-nation tournament does not include Italy, and reports on Zampolli’s proposal say Italy missed qualification after losing a playoff to Bosnia and Herzegovina in March. (fifa.com, msn.com) The timing is tied to a bigger diplomatic fight than football. Time reported that the United States and Iran are now at war, while Iran is still scheduled to play matches in U.S. stadiums during a tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. (time.com, state.gov) That puts FIFA in the middle of a clash between its competition rules and pressure from governments. FIFA’s legal site says disciplinary decisions are handled through its judicial bodies, and the organization has continued to publish Iran as a participant rather than signaling any replacement process. (inside.fifa.com, fifa.com) Iran’s side has rejected the idea that it is on the way out. ABC reported that Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj said the team is preparing to take part in the tournament, which begins on June 11. (abc.net.au, fifa.com) For now, the bracket still says Iran, not Italy. Unless FIFA opens a formal case and changes its own team list and fixtures, Zampolli’s proposal remains a political ask aimed at the world’s biggest sports event. (fifa.com, inside.fifa.com)
