<ul><li><p>Special envoy to Donald Trump suggested the idea</p></li><li><p>‘Firstly not possible … secondly not appropriate’</p></li></ul><p>The Italian sports minister, Andrea Abodi, has described a proposal for his country to replace Iran at the World Cup as “not appropriate”, rejecting any idea that the <em>Azzurri</em> will be granted a last-minute berth at this summer’s tournament.</p><p>On Wednesday it emerged that Paolo Zampolli, a special envoy to Donald Trump, had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/apr/22/trump-envoy-seeks-to-replace-iran-with-italy-at-world-cup-says-report">suggested Italy should be fast-tracked</a> to the World Cup despite their <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/mar/31/bosnia-herzegovina-italy-world-cup-2026-qualifying-playoff-match-report">shock defeat</a> by Bosnia and Herzegovina in last month’s playoffs. Zampolli proposed the four-time winners Italy replace Iran and said they would “have the pedigree to justify their inclusion”. But Abodi said football’s showpiece tournament should remain meritocratic.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/apr/23/italy-iran-usa-world-cup-andrea-abodi-paolo-zampolli-donald-trump">Continue reading...</a>