Italy rebuffs Trump envoy’s proposal to replace Iran at World Cup

ROME (MNTV) — A suggestion by a special envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump that Italy should replace Iran at this summer’s World Cup has been swiftly and emphatically rejected — not just by FIFA and Iran, but by Italy itself.

Paolo Zampolli, an Italian-American socialite, businessman, and former modelling agent who serves as Trump’s envoy for “Global Partnership,” told the Financial Times he had pitched the idea to both Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. 

“I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a U.S.-hosted tournament,” he said, arguing that Italy’s four World Cup titles gave the team the pedigree to justify a place at the finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Zampolli has no official connection to either the World Cup or Italian football. The proposal appears to have been an attempt to mend relations between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who fell out after she criticised the president’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war.

Italy says no

The response from Italian officials was unequivocal. Sports Minister Andrea Abodi dismissed the idea on two counts, saying it was neither possible nor appropriate, and that teams qualify on the pitch. 

Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti went further, calling the suggestion “shameful.”

Italy’s Olympic committee president, Luciano Buonfiglio, said he would feel offended by such a move, insisting that a place at the World Cup must be earned. 

Italian media reported widespread embarrassment among Azzurri supporters at the proposal.

Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup after losing a penalty shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their qualifying playoff final — a painful streak for a nation that has lifted the trophy four times.

Iran fires back

The Iranian embassy in Rome issued a pointed response, saying Italy’s football greatness had been built on the pitch and not through political favours. 

The embassy described the attempt to exclude Iran as evidence of American “moral bankruptcy,” arguing that the United States was afraid of even the presence of eleven young Iranians on the field of play.

Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj, speaking at a rally in Tehran, said the team was proceeding with its World Cup preparations while remaining obedient to the decisions of the authorities.

FIFA’s position

FIFA effectively shut the door on the proposal without engaging with it directly, pointing to recent statements by Infantino. “The Iranian team is coming, for sure,” Infantino said last week. He added that Iran had qualified, were a strong team, and wanted to play. “Sport should be outside politics,” he said.

Iran qualified for a fourth successive World Cup but, following the outbreak of war with the U.S. and Israel on February 28, requested that FIFA relocate its three group-stage matches from the United States to Mexico. 

That request was rejected. Infantino, who visited Iran’s training camp in Turkey last month during a friendly against Costa Rica, said all matches would take place as scheduled. 

The team is required to arrive at its training camp in Arizona no later than June 10, at least five days before its opening fixture.

Not his first try

This is not the first time Zampolli has made this pitch. In 2022, while serving as a United Nations ambassador, he wrote to Infantino demanding Iran’s exclusion from the Qatar World Cup over the country’s crackdown on protesters during the Mahsa Amini uprising, again suggesting Italy as the replacement. That request was ignored, and Iran went on to compete in the tournament.

The pattern has not gone unnoticed. Zampolli — who is perhaps best known for claiming to have introduced Trump to his wife Melania — has now twice attempted to leverage geopolitical crises to secure a World Cup berth for a team that failed to earn one on the field. 

That Italy itself finds the idea embarrassing may be the most telling verdict of all.