Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stood up to Donald Trump once again. Her government firmly rejected the idea, pushed by people close to the US president, of having the Italian national team replace Iran at the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The proposal came from Paolo Zampolli, Trump’s special envoy for Global Alliances, who, according to the Financial Times, suggested to both the president and FIFA boss Gianni Infantino that Iran be kicked out and the door opened to the Azzurri. Zampolli defended the idea citing Italy’s four World Cup titles.

The Italian response was sharp and clear. Andrea Abodi, Minister of Sports, called the idea inappropriate and untimely: a team, he said, “must qualify on the field.” Luciano Buonfiglio, president of the Italian Olympic Committee, went further, saying he would feel offended by an invitation of that kind.

There was more than sport behind the move. The maneuver was aimed at repairing the relationship between Trump and Meloni, which had fractured after the US president publicly attacked Pope Leo XIV. In other words, an attempt to seduce Italy with a football prize in exchange for cooling a diplomatic clash.