Trump unable to alter 2026 FIFA World Cup’s final list of participants — football official

MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump will not be able to change the lineup of participants in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, Vyacheslav Koloskov, a former FIFA vice president and its honorary member, told TASS on Friday. US President’s Special Envoy for Global Partnerships Paolo Zampolli suggested to President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino that the Iranian national team be replaced by Italy at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. Italy had earlier failed to qualify for the quadrennial global football championship. US President Trump later told journalists at the White House that Zampolli’s proposal was "of interest". "No doubt that Donald Trump is able to influence the composition of the World Cup participants. If it was possible, we [Russia] would never have hosted the World Cup as we could have banned someone in Moscow, invited those we like. It’s utter nonsense," Koloskov said. "Firstly, Iran still has not withdrawn from its participation, some talks are underway regarding safety, etc. Secondly, why Italy? There are many other good teams. What does Trump have to do with this? Decisions are made by the FIFA Organizing Committee, which follows clear-cut instructions regarding the situations in case of refusals," he continued. "This is another speculation about sports that needs to be stopped. I don't know why Gianni Infantino is silent, as he needs to come up with clear explanations on this situation," Koloskov noted. "Iran has an Asian quota, so in case of refusal, the Asian Football Confederation, together with FIFA, must make a decision." Following Zampolli’s statement on April 23, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohejerani stated that the Iranian national football team was fully prepared for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as all required measures for the country’s participation had been taken care of. On April 22, Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali stated that the Iranian national football team might still participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup if the safety of the team was ensured, however, no final decision was made as of yet. Minister Donyamali stated on March 11 that Iran would skip the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, on March 16, the Secretary General of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Windsor John, announced that the Iranian side hadn't officially refused to participate in the upcoming World Championship. On March 17, President of the Iranian Football Federation Mehdi Taj announced that the country’s football body was in talks with FIFA on relocating the team's matches at the 2026 World Cup from the United States to Mexico. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in turn that the world’s governing body of football will do everything in its power to accommodate the Iranian national team at the upcoming global football championship. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States between June 11 and July 19. The matches will be staged in 16 cities across the three countries. This will be the first FIFA World Cup featuring 48 teams instead of the previous 32-team format. The Iranian football team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and, following the draw, was placed in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Iran was scheduled to play all of its three group stage matches in the United States. The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.