The FIFA World Cup 2026 will begin in June this year, and we already know the names of all teams that will be taking part, or at least that’s what we think. Sadly, one of the teams that has qualified in Asia may not attend the competition, and that’s Iran.
Unless you have not been following the news lately, Iran is in a war against the USA and Israel. Considering that the USA is one of the host countries for this year’s World Cup, it’s no surprise that the Iranian football team may not participate. But who is going to fill in the gap? Well, we at Efirbet Nigeria decided to summarize the latest news.
Donald Trump’s Support for Paolo Zampolli’s Idea – Italy
Due to the ongoing war and everything else around it, there is a growing concern that Iran may not actually show up for the World Cup. That’s when Donald Trump decided to support Paolo Zampolli’s idea to invite Italy instead of Iran.
Zampolli is the US’s special representative for global partnership, and according to him, Italy should be the one to take Iran’s place. He said that the country has won the competition a total of 4 times and is the highest-ranked of the excluded teams.
You may think that Zampolli’s suggestion is popular in Italy, but the research shows that this is not the case. It seems like most Italians prefer not to attend the World Cup after their country failed to qualify for it right away. According to Zampolli, however, fans will “get over it” once the tournament actually begins.
On that note, Italy’s sports minister Andrea Abodi actually said that the proposal is impossible and inappropriate. This makes the situation even more delicate, especially if Iran actually decides not to fly to North America for the tournament.
FIFA’s Rules on Withdrawal and Replacement
It’s safe to say that a national football team does not simply refuse to attend the World Cup after it has already qualified. However, there have been (somewhat) similar situations over the years, so it’s not surprising that FIFA actually has specific rules.
According to Articles 6.5 and 6.7, a state that decides to withdraw or is excluded from the competition allows FIFA to take whatever action it finds fitting. In other words, if Iran boycotts the tournament, FIFA has the full right to add a different country, including Italy.
When making its decision, however, FIFA must follow its principles. Ideally, the organization has to try to preserve the competition’s integrity and maintain geographic and confederation balance. This is where it may face serious backlash because Italy competes in Europe, whereas Iran does not.
Unlike in club football, where you can simply add the “next on the line”, the situation with national teams is much more complicated. When you also add the fact that there is an ongoing war between the host and one of the participating countries, the situation is even more delicate.
Who Could Replace Iran Outside of Italy?
Assuming that Trump’s support to see Italy at the World Cup 2026 does not “force” FIFA to take action, we will have several interesting choices. Most people will agree that the most logically consistent scenario is to add another team that failed to qualify from Asia. There are several candidates that we could see in the U.S. next month and Syria is is among them.
Syria actually did failry well in the intercontinental playoff stage and almost secured its split in the final. We also have to say that it will definitely be an interesting option, considering its history with the USA.
Outside of Syria, the UAE could also be a possible option. The country missed out on the finals after making several huge mistakes. Both the UAE and Syria are also from the same part of the world as Iran, so it makes the most sense to see them.
Finding a replacement is not easy because FIFA has to make sure it balances the situation. The growing support for Italy could prompt officials to add the European country to the tournament, but many argue that this would shift the balance of power. Iran is currently in a group with Egypt, Belgium and New Zealand.
What if No One Replaces Iran?
One of the worst-case scenarios for FIFA in the current situation is for Iran to boycott the competition a few days before it begins. If that happens, there is a high chance that we won’t see any replacement for the country. Considering that Iran is in Group G, this would leave it with only three teams.
It’s definitely an interesting situation that could force FIFA to do one of the two things:
- Redraw the groups
- Adjust the format
The organization may also decide not to do anything and just move on with the championship as it is.
Closing Thoughts
It’s safe to say FIFA is not in an easy spot right now. The best thing that could happen to the organization is to see Iran in action. However, the country is in a really delicate situation. Assuming it decides not to attend the event, FIFA will have to make a decision.
There is no doubt that Italy is the biggest name when it comes to the countries that did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The question is – should FIFA invite the nation just because of its history and ignore its location and the potential shift in the balance of power? This is something that we will have to wait and see.
