Ranked 12th in the world by Fifa, Italy are the highest-ranked team not participating in the 2026 World Cup
Fifa has no plans to replace Iran with Italy at this summer's World Cup according to sources, after the switch was proposed by US president Donald Trump's special envoy.
There has been ongoing uncertainty over Iran's participation in the tournament because of the war with US and Israel.
US special envoy Paolo Zampolli told the Financial Times
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