A special envoy to President Donald Trump has asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the 2026 World Cup, a diplomatic gambit aimed at repairing strained ties with Rome following a bitter dispute between Trump and Pope Leo XIV over the war in Iran.
Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy focused on global partnerships, confirmed he has made the proposal to both the president and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The suggestion, reported by the Financial Times, comes as the Trump administration seeks to mend fences with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of Washington’s traditionally closest European allies .
“I am an Italian native, and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-hosted tournament,” Zampolli told the Financial Times. “With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion” .
A falling-out over faith and war
The diplomatic push to bring Italy into the tournament underscores a remarkable rift between Washington and the Vatican that has escalated dramatically in recent months. The relationship has soured since Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, began sharply criticizing the Trump administration’s conduct of the war against Iran .
The tension reached a boiling point after Trump issued a public threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight” during a tense standoff with Tehran. Pope Leo responded by calling the rhetoric “truly unacceptable” and urged American Catholics to contact their congressional representatives .
Trump hit back on social media, labeling the pontiff “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.” The president told reporters: “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo” .
For her part, Meloni has largely avoided publicly criticizing Trump—even during controversies over Greenland and Iran—but the pope’s direct involvement has forced a wedge. Reports indicate the Italian government was particularly uncomfortable with the administration’s framing of the war as a divinely sanctioned mission, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at one point calling for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ” .
Pope Leo has rejected such framing outright, declaring on Palm Sunday that “God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war” .
Political football
The World Cup proposal lands at a delicate moment. Iran has qualified for the tournament and is drawn into Group G, scheduled to play all its group stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle . However, the Islamic Republic has previously threatened to withdraw, demanding that its matches be moved to Mexico due to the conflict with the United States—a request FIFA has denied .
If Iran withdraws, FIFA rules give the organization “full discretion” to select a replacement nation. While Italy is ranked 12th in the world and is the highest-ranked nation not to have qualified, the Asian Football Confederation would likely push for a replacement from within its own confederation, such as the United Arab Emirates .
FIFA President Infantino has expressed confidence that Iran will ultimately participate. “The Iranian team is coming, for sure,” he said at a recent Washington conference, adding that “sport should be kept out of politics” .
Iranian officials struck a defiant tone on Wednesday. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told state media that the ministry of sport has made “all necessary arrangements for the team’s effective participation” .
A long shot
The prospect of Italy actually taking Iran’s place remains remote. Aside from the logistical and regulatory hurdles, any such move would represent an unprecedented politicization of the World Cup—something Infantino has publicly vowed to resist.
Nevertheless, Zampolli’s overture signals how the intersection of war, faith, and international sport has created an unpredictable diplomatic landscape as the June 11 kickoff approaches. For now, the Azzurri remain spectators, and Iran remains on the schedule—but with US-Italian relations hanging in the balance, the ball may not stop rolling there.
