Paolo Zampoli, the U.S. Special Envoy for Global Partnerships, has proposed replacing Iran’s national team at the World Cup with Italy’s. This information was published by Glavkom, citing the Financial Times.
Zampoli, who is of Italian descent, stated: “I suggested to Trump and Infantino that we replace Iran with Italy. It would be a dream to see them at the tournament in the U.S. Italy has four titles and all the qualities to deserve a spot in the tournament.”
The Iranian national team is scheduled to play all three of its group stage matches in the U.S. They were drawn into a group with Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
World Cup Group Draw
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic.
- Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland.
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland.
- Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey.
- Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador.
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia.
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand.
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay.
- Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway.
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan.
- Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia.
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama.
The teams that finish in the top two spots in their groups, as well as the eight best third-place finishers, will advance to the Round of 16.
