A senior envoy to US President Donald Trump has urged the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to consider excluding Iran from the 2026 World Cup and replacing it with Italy, triggering political and sporting controversy just weeks before the tournament.
Paolo Zampolli, currently serving as US Special Representative for Global Partnerships, confirmed that he had raised the proposal with Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup,” Zampolli told the Financial Times in comments reported yesterday.
“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.”
Four-time champions Italy failed to qualify for their third successive World Cup earlier this year.
Zampolli, an Italian-born businessman and former modelling agent, has long been part of Trump’s inner circle. He is widely described as a close personal friend. He has said he introduced Trump to his then-future wife, Melania, in the late 1990s.
His proximity to the President has translated into official roles, including a position on the Kennedy Centre board and, since 2025, a senior envoy role focused on global partnerships.
Zampolli’s proposal is tied to geopolitical tensions surrounding Iran’s participation in a tournament co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
Ongoing conflict between the US and Iran and its adversaries has raised concerns over logistics, security and diplomacy. Zampolli framed his suggestion partly as a contingency — if Iran were unable or unwilling to participate — and partly as a political gesture.
Critics, though, note that Iran is being singled out not for sporting reasons but because of political tensions. The country has already qualified on merit and continues to prepare for the tournament, with its football federation insisting it intends to compete.
Zampolli’s name has also surfaced in the Italian press following a meeting in early April with Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s former prime minister and a leading opposition figure, reinforcing his image as an informal diplomatic go-between for Trump.
His FIFA intervention is being read as an attempt to position himself as a fixer in tensions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after Rome declined to support US strikes on Iran. Meloni also criticised Trump over remarks about the Pope.
Zampolli responded by saying the two leaders no longer share any “special relationship.”
FIFA has given no indication it will accept the proposal. Reports suggest the governing body has “zero plans” to replace Iran, while Infantino has stressed that “sports should be outside of politics” and that Iran “has to come”.
Zampolli’s intervention highlights the growing overlap between geopolitics and global sport.
While unlikely to succeed, it has reignited debate over whether political considerations should influence participation in major sporting events — and why Iran, rather than any other qualified nation, has become the focal point.
