Italy’s repechage to the World Cup, Belgium is alarmed: "Surreal". There's a deadline

The crazy rumor has been circulating for several days, but it is becoming a more and more concrete scenario: if Iran were to forfeit the 2026 World Cup, Italy could be the one to take its place in Group G, with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.

Belgian sports websites and newspapers are reporting alarmed rumors coming out of FIFA: Iran’s forfeit is practically taken for granted should the Middle East conflict be prolonged, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed this week that FIFA has rejected Tehran’s request to move the matches, originally scheduled in the United States, to Mexico.

According to reports in The Athletic, in the event of an Iranian forfeit, FIFA would not rule out organizing a mini playoff tournament to decide the replacement team. Among the national teams potentially invited would be Italy, eliminated in the European playoffs and currently ranked 12th in the FIFA rankings. This would make Belgium’s group decidedly more complicated and fascinating.

Various Belgian sites brand the hypothesis as “crazy” and “surreal,” but they point out that a possible repechage of Italy and the inclusion of the Azzurri in Belgium’s group would complicate in no small measure the path of the Red Devils, who had been drawn in one of the easiest groups in the entire tournament. The challenge would be scheduled for June 21 in Los Angeles, where the Italian community is quite large.

In the meantime, a deadline for the decision has arrived: Iran would have to communicate its forfeit by May 13, otherwise it would risk heavy sanctions. Within FIFA there is still hope for the participation of Tehran’s selection, but nothing is ruled out anymore.