US Prime Minister Donald Trump said that he would consider replacing the Iranian national team at the upcoming World Cup with Italy.
During a meeting with reporters at the White House, the US president called the possibility of replacing the Iranian team with Italy "interesting".
"Let me think about it", he added, asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio to comment on the proposal.
The US Secretary of State, for his part, said that "the US has not told Iranian athletes not to come". "The problem with Iran is not their athletes, it's the people they want to bring with them, some of whom may have ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," Rubio said.
"They themselves decided not to come," he added. "We wouldn't want to harm the athletes," the American statesman said.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Paolo Zampoli, the US president's special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested that the Iranian national team at the upcoming World Cup be replaced by Italy, a proposal he made to the US president and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The Italians failed to qualify for the tournament.
On 21 April, Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali approved the national team's participation in the World Cup, subject to security measures, but noted that a decision had not yet been made.
In March, Donyamali announced that the national team would not participate in the World Cup. However, on 16 March, Asian Football Confederation Secretary General Windsor John stated that no notification had been received from Iran regarding its withdrawal from the upcoming World Cup.
Later, Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj stated that the national team would not boycott the World Cup and that the organization was discussing with FIFA the possibility of moving the team's matches to Mexico. Infantino noted that he expects the Iranian national team to participate in the tournament and the organization will strive to create the best possible conditions for the team.
On April 23, the spokesperson for the government of the Islamic Republic, Fatemeh Mohajerani, announced that the Iranian national team is preparing to participate in the 2026 World Cup and that all necessary measures have been taken.