Italy’s repechage to World Cup, Trump’s man raises: "50% Azzurri at World Cup"
“There is a 50 percent chance, maybe even more, that Italy will be repechaged for the World Cup.”
With these words, Paolo Zampolli, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships in the U.S. administration, reiterated that he still believes in the possibility that the national team will be chosen to compete instead of Iran in the 2026 World Cup, due to the geopolitical tensions precisely between the United States and the Islamic Republic.
Zampolli, speaking on the radio program “La Politica nel Pallone” on GR Parlamento, explained that he will meet FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the F1 Miami Grand Prix (scheduled for next weekend) and talk about the issue: “I will tell him that a World Cup without Italy has no sense of existence, the final decision will be up to him. Trump? I have not spoken to him directly about this but he has not expressed himself negatively: if Iran were to opt out, anything could happen.”
This is not the first time Zampolli has spoken out publicly on the issue. In recent days, in fact, he had already personally confirmed the pressure on the international federation: “I confirm that I have suggested to Trump and Infantino to replace Iran with Italy at the World Cup. I am Italian, it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at the World Cup in the United States. With four titles, the Azzurri have the pedigree to justify inclusion.”
According to international media, the initiative would also represent an “effort to mend ties between Trump and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni” after the U.S. president’s recent attacks on the Pope. Moreover, this is not the first time such a proposal has emerged: back in 2022, on the occasion of the World Cup in Qatar, the U.S. ambassador wrote to Infantino asking precisely for the exclusion of Iran and the inclusion of Italy.
Reflaming the controversy in recent hours has also been a news item reported by “For The Win,” USA Today’s sports portal: outside Seattle’s Lumen Field stadium, which is scheduled to host the last Group G match between Egypt and Iran next June 26, the Italian flag appears and not that of Iran.
In the installation that greets fans with the flags of all the national teams that will play in Seattle, Iran’s is completely absent, while there are those of Belgium, Egypt, the United States, Australia, Qatar and precisely the Italian Tricolor, complete with “Welcome,” despite the fact that the Azzurri failed to qualify for the third World Cup in a row. The photos on social media immediately sparked discussion, with many fans targeting the organizers.
