Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back Thursday against a proposal to replace Iran's World Cup team with Italy, saying the United States has not told Iranian athletes they cannot participate in the tournament scheduled for 2026.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Rubio clarified that any potential US restrictions would target specific members of Iran's delegation, not the athletes themselves. He said the concern centers on individuals with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the US designates as a terrorist organization.
"No one from the US has told them they can't come," Rubio said of Iran's participation. "The problem with Iran, it would be not their athletes, it would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in, but not the athletes themselves."
Rubio was addressing a proposal from Paolo Zampolli, a special envoy to the Trump administration, who had suggested Italy replace Iran in the tournament. Zampolli, according to reporting, pitched the idea to President Donald Trump and FIFA officials, calling it a "dream" scenario despite Italy's failure to qualify through normal channels.
Italy's government quickly rejected the notion. Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said Thursday that reinstating Italy was "first, not possible, second, not appropriate. You qualify on the pitch." Luciano Buonfiglio, president of Italy's Olympic committee, agreed, saying he would feel insulted by such an arrangement. "You have to earn your place in the World Cup," he said.
Rubio distanced the Trump administration from Zampolli's proposal, calling it speculation. "I don't know where that's coming from, other than speculation that Iran may decide not to come, and Italy would fill their spot," Rubio said. "But that's if they decide not to come on their own, it's because they decided not to come."
Iran's embassy in Rome responded to the suggestion by accusing the US of "moral bankruptcy" and asserting that Italy did not need "political privileges" to demonstrate its football strength. Italy, a four-time World Cup winner, failed to qualify after losing a penalty shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualifying playoff last month.
Iran's World Cup participation has faced uncertainty since a military escalation between Iran, Israel, and the US began in late February. In April, the Iranian football federation said it was negotiating with FIFA to relocate Iran's matches from the United States to Mexico.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has rejected those concerns, affirming that Iran will compete and play "where they are supposed to be, according to the draw." Infantino reiterated that position during a visit to Washington last week.
Author James Rodriguez: "Rubio's careful parsing shows the real issue here isn't athletes, it's bureaucrats and operatives in the Iranian delegation, which is a meaningful distinction the whole 'replace them with Italy' stunt missed entirely."
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