Khaberni - Media reports, on Wednesday, indicated that the Italian national team is still clinging to the dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup despite its loss to Bosnia by penalty kicks 4-1 in the final of the first European pathway qualifier to the World Cup to be held next summer in America, Mexico, and Canada.
According to the British newspaper "The Sun", Italy, which has not participated in the last 3 World Cup finals, still has a very slim chance of appearing in the next World Cup, especially if Iran withdraws from participation in the World Cup due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
There is uncertainty surrounding the possibility of Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup especially since the Iranian Football Federation confirmed that it will not play its matches in America and has requested to move its games to Mexico, while the International Federation of Association Football "FIFA" confirmed that Iran will participate and no changes will be made to the schedule.
No final decision has been taken yet regarding Iran's participation, and according to "FIFA" regulations, the international federation must "make the decision based on FIFA's own discretion and take any necessary action if a team withdraws from the World Cup".
This may give Italy a chance to participate in the World Cup if Iran officially withdraws, especially since it is the highest-ranked among all the teams that did not qualify through the final playoff.
"The Sun" newspaper added: However, FIFA may replace Iran with another Asian team to ensure the same number of teams from each continental federation remains unchanged.
