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ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Ermedin Demirovic and Benjamin Tahirovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina competes for the ball with Nicolò Barella of Italy during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
Donald Trump’s Envoy Paolo Zampolli insists it’s ‘very difficult to trust Iranians’, suggesting that Italy still have a chance to replace their national team at the World Cup, even though ‘time is running out.’
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Trump’s Special Envoy Zampolli insists Italy still has a slight chance of playing at the World Cup, as he fears the Iran national team might not show up for the tournament that kicks off on June 11.
Zampolli has already released several interviews about the matter, revealing that he had discussed Italy’s possible involvement in the competition should Iran fail to participate.
“I contacted Infantino with Trump’s support because FIFA regulations are lacking regarding the replacement of a team that does not show up,” Zampolli said in his latest interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
Zampolli: ‘Very difficult to trust Iran’
“If Iran were not to participate in the World Cup, Italy would have the right to participate, having won the World Cup four times and being the highest-ranked of the excluded teams.
“The key issue is understanding what the Iranians have in mind, as they are very difficult to trust,” Zampolli continued.
“They now say the team will come, but what do we do about those following them, which is not very welcome in the United States, given what is happening? The game is still open.”
There have been mixed reactions to the possibility of Italy replacing Iran at the World Cup, a scenario that remains quite unlikely, given that FIFA President Infantino has recently confirmed that the Iranians will regularly participate in the tournament.
Azzurri World Cup winner Fulvio Collovati said earlier this week that seeing Italy play at the World Cup after failing to qualify for the third time in a row would be “humiliating”, and many fans in the country feel the same.
“I can understand that, but how do they think Italians would react if the national team played in the World Cup?” asked Zampolli.
“Would they cheer as only we know how, or would they not watch the matches because we didn’t qualify on the field?”
When asked whether he’ll try to put more pressure on Infantino in the coming days, Trump’s Envoy replied: “I don’t think it’s necessary, even though time is running out. Last year, I alraedy convince him to hold the World Cup draw at the Trump-Kennedy Centre.”
Lastly, Zampolli revealed being an Inter fan who even watched many matches at the Stadio Meazza before moving to the USA.
“When I was young, I used to go to the Stadium in Curva Nord with the Boys,” he said.
“I’m happy Inter won the league title, but I’m not a die-hard fan. I experience sport as a means of uniting people and creating business opportunities.”
ByLorenzo Bettoni
Lorenzo Bettoni is the Editor of Football Italia.
