Italy dismisses Trump envoy’s World Cup swap proposal amid Iran debate

A U.S. envoy’s suggestion to replace Iran with Italy at this year’s World Cup drew embarrassed-to-apathetic reactions in Italy, with ministers calling it impossible or inappropriate and stressing that qualification must be earned on the pitch. FIFA reiterated Iran’s participation, and there is no current move to exclude or replace them, while Italy missed the tournament after a playoff loss. The idea appears to be more about diplomacy than a concrete plan.