TRUMP WANTS TO KICK IRAN OUT OF THE WORLD CUP AND HAND THEIR SPOT TO ITALY — FIFA SAID NO!
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has not even kicked off and already Donald Trump’s America is trying to rewrite the rules of the beautiful game for political reasons
Trump’s special envoy Paolo Zampolli personally approached FIFA president GIANNI INFANTINO with a request to remove Iran a fully qualified nation from the 2026 World Cup and hand their spot to Italy, a team that did not qualify. Italy lost in a penalty shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina and was eliminated fair and square.
The reason? It had nothing to do with football.
The request was reportedly made to repair Trump’s damaged relationship with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after tensions flared between them over Trump’s war with Iran and his comments against Pope Leo XIV.
So let us be clear about what happened here.
A nation qualified through months of competition, sweat, and sacrifice on the pitch. And a superpower tried to erase that with a phone call not because of football but because of politics, war, and a diplomatic favour.
FIFA president Infantino stood firm and said: “The Iranian team is coming, for sure. They have qualified. The players want to play.”
Egypt and Morocco are both in this World Cup. African nations fight through brutal qualifying campaigns for their seat at the table.
If America can remove a qualified nation with a phone call what does that mean for African football sovereignty?
Today Iran. Tomorrow who?
AFRICA WANTS TO KNOW :
If Trump can try to remove a qualified nation from the World Cup for political reasons is football still a sport or just another weapon of Western power? Drop your thoughts
African hype media