Claim : Donald Trump has requested FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup and replace them with Italy.
Conclusion : The claim is false. Although a senior official in the Trump administration, Paolo Zampolli, proposed the idea, Donald Trump himself did not make any formal request. Italy rejected the proposal, FIFA too has made no changes, and Iran remains qualified for the tournament.
Rating : False 
————————————————————————————————-
Several social media users have claimed that US President Donald Trump has requested a swap in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. Verified X user ‘pubity’ shared such a post with the caption : “Donald Trump has requested FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup and replace them with Italy.” Attached to the post are two images, one of Trump and the other of a football alongside the FIFA cup. The post can be seen below –
Donald Trump has requested FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup and replace them with Italy. pic.twitter.com/cShGVhyWii
— Pubity (@pubity) April 22, 2026
Other users have shared similar claims that can be seen here.
🚨 JUST IN: Donald Trump has reportedly asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the World Cup.
[@PolymarketSport] pic.twitter.com/3hU5IMpYAV
Iran have already qualified, Italy didn’t.— MatchDay Central (@MatchDCentral) April 23, 2026
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found it to be false. While a senior Trump administration official, Paolo Zampolli suggested the swap, President Trump himself did not formally request it. Italy themselves have rejected the change, FIFA too has not changed anything and Iran remains qualified.
Details:
We first conducted a web search with the phrase “Trump requests FIFA to remove Iran for Italy” to learn more. According to a report published by The Guardian, “An envoy to Donald Trump has asked Fifa to replace Iran with Italy in the upcoming World Cup” The report mentions, US special envoy Paolo Zampolli told Financial Times “I confirm I have suggested to Trump and [Fifa president Gianni] Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup.”
He further says that “ I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-hosted tournament. With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion,” From the report, we also learnt that “Iran had said earlier in April it would only decide on the national team’s participation in the World Cup once it received a response from Fifa over the relocation of their matches from the US to Mexico.” View a section of the report below –
Next, we came across Trump’s actual comments on whether Italy could actually replace Iran or not. According to an ANI report, Trump told the media that “I don’t think about it too much” and did not endorse anything. On the other hand, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said that “The problem with Iran would not be the atheletes…they can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend they are journalists or athletic trainers”. View a section from the report below –
The White House’s official Youtube channel has released the full footage on 23 April, 2026 where Trump and Marco Rubio responds to the question. The journalists asks the question and Trump’s response begins at timestamp 19:28 and Rubio starts speaking from 19:56.
Following this, we learnt from an India Today report updated on 25 April 2026, that “Italian Olympic Committee President Luciano Buonfiglio said the idea was not only unrealistic but also insulting.” Sports Minister of Italy Andrea Abodi also echoed the same sentiment, saying “ “It is not appropriate. You qualify on the pitch,” The report also noted how “FIFA also made its stance clear by pointing to Infantino’s earlier comments supporting Iran’s presence at the tournament.”
According to a CNBC report published on 15 April, 2026, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the Iranian team “is coming for sure”. When we searched for any recent comments on this issue, FIFA did not announce or post any changes. There is no credible proof that Italy is replacing Iran and Donald Trump did not make that suggestion.
Thus, the claim is false.
Also Read:
Was actress Jennifer Aniston really attacked with oil in NYC? Fact Check
Old Spain Festival video passed off as Croatia celebrating win over Brazil at FIFA; Fact Check
