Italy legend: Replacing Iran at 2026 World Cup would be ‘humiliating’

Italy legend: Replacing Iran at 2026 World Cup would be ‘humiliating’

Italy legend Fulvio Collovati insists that seeing the Azzurri replace Iran at the 2026 World Cup would be ‘humiliating.’

Italy have failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, but there are reports that the Azzurri could still be heading to the tournament to replace Iran, especially after Paolo Zampolli’s recent claims.

BERLIN – JULY 9: General view of the World Cup trophy prior to the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Final match between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium on July 9, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

“Some people pushed these ideas more on a political level than a sporting one. Honestly, I never even considered them,” Collovati told Scommesse.io.

Collovati: ‘Humiliating’ to see Italy at World Cup

“It would be humiliating from a sporting perspective. In sport, what matters is the field and the result. You can’t get there through shortcuts. Italy have not qualified for the last three World Cups, and that’s no coincidence. It can happen once, even twice, but the third time means there are serious problems. Before those three missed qualifications, we had been knocked out in the first round twice in a row. It’s a crisis that has lasted for 20 years, since 2006. Before thinking about being admitted to the World Cup, we need to think about reforms.