Italy’s repechage to the World Cup: there are already protests

The issue related to Iran, which has come to a tug-of-war with FIFA, continues to hold sway: from Tehran, the capital of the Asian country, they have let it be known that they will take part in the final phase of the World Cup if their competitions are not played in the United States. Mexico has taken up the appeal and has already said it is willing, but the top soccer body does not seem willing to go along with this request. In case of a definitive ‘no’ it would come down to repechage and in Belgium there are those who turn their noses up at the possibility, rather remote to tell the truth, that it will be Italy’s turn and not the UAE’s.

The Red Devils, placed in the same round as Iran (but also Egypt and New Zealand), would obviously prefer the Emiratis to the more competitive Azzurri and the social tam-tam of Belgian supporters has already begun. Bringing clarity to the regulatory framework is Article 6.7 of the competition’s rules: “If a participating federation withdraws and/or is excluded from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA will decide on the matter at its sole discretion and take any action it deems necessary. FIFA may decide to replace the participating federation in question with another federation.” A rule that, at least on paper, leaves any scenario open, but established practice would like the post to be awarded to a selection from the Asian continent itself.

In this sense, the UAE remains the most credible candidates. For the UAE, moreover, it would be a historic return: their only participation in a final stage dates back, ironically, to Italia ’90, when the Arab country was placed in a prohibitive group with West Germany, Yugoslavia and Colombia, exiting with three defeats and an overall tally of ten goals conceded and two scored.

On the Iranian front, reiterating Tehran’s position was directly the Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, speaking to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency: “The request to move our matches to Mexico is still valid, but we have not yet received a response. We will still keep the team ready for the World Cup, although the final decision will be up to our government. Trump’s statements are very contradictory and inconsistent: according to FIFA regulations, security must be provided by the country concerned. Under these circumstances, the probability of Iran participating in World Cup matches in the United States is very low.”