The proposal put forward by Paolo Zampolli, Donald Trump's envoy, to replace Italy's absence with Iran's team in the 2026 World Cup was widely rejected within Italian sports and political circles, as the idea was considered unrealistic and undermined the principle of equal opportunities.

The proposal came after the "Azzurri" failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, but it did not receive any official support.

Luciano Bonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, was among the first opponents, emphasizing that such a scenario is not possible, asserting that he would feel insulted if Italy participated without merit.

He added that qualifying for the World Cup should be based solely on performance on the field, not through exceptional decisions.

In turn, Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi adopted the same stance, describing the idea of reinstating Italy into the tournament as inappropriate, and affirming that sporting criteria are the sole determinant in deciding the qualifiers, without any political interventions.

In response, the Iranian reply was also decisive, with government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani affirming that their national team is preparing normally to participate in the tournament, taking all necessary measures to ensure a strong performance, clearly rejecting any talk of being excluded from the finals.