Italy’s repechage to the World Cup: comes a very heavy rejection
Italians soundly reject the repechage of the Italian national team for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The war between Iran and the Americans is currently at a stalemate after a cease-fire, but the solution for an agreement still seems far away and the time frame is getting longer. The World Cup is just around the corner, however, and the presence of Tehran’s selection at the World Cup always remains in the balance as the tournament is held in one of the belligerent nations.
Italy is given as the main favorite for the replacement, even after the words of Donald Trump’s envoy Paolo Zampolli, but many Italians are not up for it, as reported in a Swg poll commissioned by Gazzetta dello Sport.
The poll question reads, “In recent weeks, because of the ongoing war, the hypothesis of Iran’s exclusion from the World Cup has emerged. If Italy were to be repechaged instead of Iran, would you be…?” Well, only one in four Italians were in favor of the hypothesis (25%), 58% were against it, and 17% did not answer. Moreover, as many as 47% of Italians believe that “participating through repechage and not through sporting merit would be a disgrace to the national team and the country.”
In the meantime, Iran does not seem at all willing to raise the white flag. The Iranian Football Federation issued an official statement via state TV, firmly reiterating its position: “No external pressure can deprive Iran of participation in a competition for which it qualified with full merit. Iran’s position is clear: the team will take part in the 2026 World Cup, but the host country will have to take into consideration our legitimate concerns.” A stark warning, further complicating any repechage scenario. On FIFA’s table, ahead of the crucial meeting in Zurich between the two sides, Iranian Federation President Mehdi Taj presented ten specific conditions.
The main ones include the unhindered issuance of visas for all players and members of the technical staff – with special reference to those who served in the Revolutionary Guards, such as Mehdi Taremi and Ehsan Hajsafi – a guarantee that they will not be subjected to interrogation or extraordinary border checks, a clear definition of how visas will be issued to Iranian journalists and fans, as well as the adoption of high security standards at airports, hotels and stadiums. Iran also demanded that only the official flags of the two teams on the field be allowed in the facilities and that the national anthem of the Islamic Republic be played properly and without interruption.
