Italy Rejects World Cup Wild Card, Iran Willing to Play in the US

ROME, FRIDAY – The Italian government has rejected the notion of replacing Iran as a contestant in the 2026 World Cup. Washington has confirmed that it will conduct strict screening of members of the Iranian national team who will participate in the major football tournament this summer.

Italy's pride still seems incredibly high. A wild card spot in the 2026 World Cup has never been a concern for the Italian government or football public.

When asked about the idea of ​​the Azzurri appearing at the 2026 World Cup, Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi strongly rejected the idea. "Firstly, (playing in the 2026 World Cup) is impossible. Secondly, (we) don't deserve (to replace Iran)," Abodi said, as reported by the Italian news agency ANSA on Thursday (April 23, 2026).

This was also conveyed by the President of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), Luciano Buonfiglio. He stated that participating in the 2026 World Cup by replacing Iran would tarnish Italy's dignity, a nation that holds four World Cup trophies.

"I would feel offended if we played in the World Cup under that situation. You have to earn your place in the World Cup on the field," said Buonfiglio.

Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti also emphasized that Gli Azzurri will not go to North America. According to him, Italy would feel insulted if FIFA were to provide an invitation ticket to participate in the World Cup as a substitute for Iran.

Dino Zoff, a legend and former Italian national team coach, also called the idea of ​​Italy playing in the 2026 World Cup unworthy of discussion. Zoff believes Italy has already failed to qualify properly due to its failure in the playoffs last March.

"It wasn't very sporting," said Zoff, who captained Italy to the 1982 World Cup title, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

As is known, Italy has been absent from the World Cup for three consecutive editions. Russia 2018, Qatar 2022, and North America 2026 are the last three major football tournaments that Gli Azzurri did not participate in.

I would be offended if we played in the World Cup in that situation.

Their failure to qualify for the 2026 edition was due to their defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoff final on March 31 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Gianluigi Donnarumma lost 4-1 on penalties.

This situation means that Italy will only participate in two exhibition matches next June. Luxembourg and Greece will fill Italy's schedule while the majority of the world's top teams rush to North America.

Undoubtedly, Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil, remains the last football stadium that witnessed Italy in the World Cup. At that time, Italy played its final group stage match in Brazil 2014.

Italy fell 0-1 to Uruguay, thus failing to advance to the round of 16. The Gli Azzurri squad at that time was still led by the legendary captain and goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon. In the midfield, Italy was also still inhabited by the maestro, Andrea Pirlo.

The rumor that Italy would be a candidate to replace Iran was raised by a close associate of President Trump, Paolo Zampolli. Zampolli told the Financial Times that he had been Trump's envoy to discuss and submit proposal documents to FIFA regarding the plan.

The relationship between Washington and FIFA is very close. Zampolli is also a member of the World Cup Task Force established by Trump, which is responsible for preparing the football agenda. On the other hand, with Trump's permission, FIFA has established an operational office in Miami, Florida, USA.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that Washington supports the discourse of replacing Iran and bringing Italy as a substitute. He emphasized that the U.S. government will welcome the arrival of the Iranian national team at the 2026 World Cup with open arms.

"No one from the government (US) informed Iran that they could not come," said Rubio in a statement to the media at the White House, Thursday (23/4/2026) evening local time or Friday (24/4/2026) morning WIB.

However, Rubio noted regarding the Iranian squad that could enter U.S. territory. He stated that only members of the Iranian national team who do not have ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is listed as a terrorist group by Washington, are permitted to enter.

"The issue with Iran is not their athletes, but some other individuals they wish to bring. Some of them have connections to the IRGC. Therefore, we may not be able to allow some of them to enter (U.S. territory), but not the players," explained Rubio.

Iran is placed in Group G of the 2026 World Cup alongside New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt. The "Team Melli," as Iran is known, will compete in three group stage matches in the United States. In the first two matches, they will play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. They will then conclude the qualifying round against Egypt at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.

From Tehran, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani confirmed that the Iranian national team will not withdraw from the 2026 World Cup. Although their request to play matches outside the United States was not met by FIFA, Mohajerani stated that Tehran fully supports the squad's preparations.

"The Ministry of Youth and Sports has focused on providing full preparation for our national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States," said Mohajerani.

During the preparation period, Iran will hold a training camp ahead of the World Cup in Turkey next May. They will also be based in Tucson, Arizona, USA, during the tournament. (AFP/REUTERS)