Could Italy Still Qualify for the 2026 World Cup? What It Means for Fans and Tickets

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/could-italy-still-qualify-2026-120500681.html","headline":"Could Italy still qualify for the 2026 World Cup? What it means for fans and tickets","datePublished":"2026-04-28T12:05:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T12:05:00.000Z","keywords":["2026 World Cup","Italy","Iran","Paolo Zampolli","Iran","Canada","Mexico"],"description":"The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has taken an unexpected turn after a proposal suggested that Italy could still participate in the tournament, potentially...","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Football Today","url":"https://footballtoday.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":400,"height":400,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-06/4901c8d0-2669-11ef-af07-573bc7964ded"}},"creator":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Football Today","url":"https://footballtoday.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":400,"height":400,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-06/4901c8d0-2669-11ef-af07-573bc7964ded"}},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Football Today","url":"https://footballtoday.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":400,"height":400,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-06/4901c8d0-2669-11ef-af07-573bc7964ded"}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/cpcSAkT5D8zAzyCxtIEJhg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTE1MjA7aD04NTg7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/football_today_articles_719/d41264f70ded4a8934cf6870624d8318","height":429,"width":760},"thumbnailUrl":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/cpcSAkT5D8zAzyCxtIEJhg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTE1MjA7aD04NTg7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/football_today_articles_719/d41264f70ded4a8934cf6870624d8318"}Story byCould Italy still qualify for the 2026 World Cup? What it means for fans and ticketsCould Italy still qualify for the 2026 World Cup? What it means for fans and ticketsFootball TodayTue, April 28, 2026 at 12:05 PM UTC·2 min readThe road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has taken an unexpected turn after a proposal suggested that Italy could still participate in the tournament, potentially as a replacement for Iran.The idea, reportedly raised by businessman Paolo Zampolli, has been met with strong criticism in Italy, where football officials have called it ‘inappropriate’ and ‘unrealistic’.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }While the scenario remains highly unlikely, it has sparked debate among football fans and raised questions about how such a political conflict could impact the tournament.Why are Italy being mentioned?The discussion stems from ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Iran and the United States, one of the host nations of the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.In theory, if Iran were unable to participate, a spot could open up in the tournament. However, according to FIFA regulations, qualification must be earned through sporting merit.Italy’s response: ‘You qualify on the pitch’Italian officials were quick to dismiss Zampolli’s idea. Sports…

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