Marco Rubio has said the United States has no objection to Iranian players competing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but warned that individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will not be allowed entry.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Rubio stressed that Washington’s position is to protect athletes while maintaining national security restrictions.

“Nothing from the U.S. has told them they can’t come,” Rubio said, referring to Iran’s participation in the tournament.

Donald Trump also echoed that stance, saying his administration “would not want to affect the athletes,” in remarks at the White House.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to kick off on June 11, will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

However, Rubio drew a firm line regarding non-playing personnel.

“The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in—but not the athletes themselves,” he said.

He added: “They can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they are journalists and athletic trainers,” noting that Washington has designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organisation.

The comments come amid earlier controversy sparked by Paolo Zampolli, who suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tournament—a proposal that drew criticism and has no official backing.

There has been no indication that Iran will withdraw from the competition or face a ban. Iran had previously requested that its group-stage matches be moved from the United States to Mexico following the outbreak of hostilities, but that request was rejected by FIFA.

Tensions remain high after the escalation of conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran earlier this year. A fragile ceasefire has been in place for just over two weeks following a series of strikes and counter-strikes that resulted in significant casualties and displacement across the region.

Despite the geopolitical backdrop, U.S. officials insist the tournament will proceed with athletes at its centre, even as security considerations shape participation off the pitch.

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A top envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump has asked FIFA to replace Iran ‌with Italy in the upcoming World Cup, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

The plan is an effort to repair ties between Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after the two fell out amid the American president’s attacks against Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war, ​the FT reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and (FIFA president Gianni) ​Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup. I’m an Italian native, and it would ⁠be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-hosted tournament. With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify ​inclusion,” U.S. special envoy Paolo Zampolli told the FT.

The White House, FIFA, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ​did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Italy suffered a shock in March after the national team missed out on the World Cup for the third time in a row following a 4-1 penalty shootout defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina in their qualifying playoff final.

Iran qualified for ​a fourth successive World Cup last year but after the start of the war requested that FIFA move the team’s ​three group matches from the U.S. to Mexico.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on a visit to an Iran squad training camp in Turkey ‌last month ⁠that all matches would take place as scheduled, while offering the team help with preparations for the tournament.

“We are preparing and making arrangements for the World Cup, but we are obedient to the decisions of the authorities,” Iranian football federation (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj told reporters at a pro-government rally in Tehran on Wednesday.

“For now, the decision is for the national team ​to be fully prepared for the ​World Cup.”

The decision on which ⁠country would come in if the Iranian government withdrew the team lies in the hands of FIFA, which under Article Six of the World Cup regulations is at liberty to call ​up any nation it chooses to fill the vacancy.

The AFC would be expected to ​lobby hard for ⁠the replacement to come from Asia with the United Arab Emirates, who lost a qualifying playoff to Iraq last November, the obvious choice.

The UAE have nowhere near the footballing pedigree of the Italians, however, having appeared at only one edition of the World ⁠Cup finals ​in 1990 when they lost all three matches.

The World Cup, which is ​also being co-hosted by Mexico and Canada, gets underway on June 11 with Iran scheduled to kick off their campaign against New Zealand in Los ​Angeles four days later.

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Houston city officials amended on Wednesday an ordinance that halted cooperation with ‌federal immigration authorities after the Texas governor threatened to withhold $114 million in public safety funds ahead of this summer’s soccer World Cup matches.

The ordinance passed this month had restricted police in the largest city in ​Texas and the fourth most populous in the United States from detaining those ​subject to deportation warrants.

The Houston city council voted 13-4 to pass the ⁠amendment, said the office of Democratic Mayor John Whitmire, adding that it would protect $114 ​million in state funding and reinforce people’s rights against unreasonable detention.

The 2026 soccer World Cup ​is set to begin on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Wednesday’s change dropped an explicit bar on the practice of giving federal agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency ​30 minutes to pick up people named in the warrants.

The amendment approval was “a step ​in the right direction,” a spokesperson for Republican Governor Greg Abbott told the Texas Tribune newspaper.

The amendment ‌also ⁠strikes out a description of ICE’s administrative warrants as being “not reviewed by a neutral magistrate or judge and are not probable cause for a criminal arrest,” the paper added.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had filed a lawsuit against the Democratic mayor and city council ​members over the ordinance.

Civil ​rights groups condemned ⁠the amendment.

“Houston city council caved to the governor’s threats and intimidation,” said Caro Rivera Nelson, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties ​Union (ACLU) of Texas.

“The effective repeal of Proposition A is a stain ​on our ⁠state,” she added, referring to the ordinance.

ICE has been the face of a hardline immigration crackdown and deportation drive pursued by the administration of Republican President Donald Trump.

Rights groups have condemned the ⁠crackdown, saying ​it has led to violations of free speech and ​due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for minorities.

Trump casts his actions as necessary to improve ​domestic security and curb illegal immigration.

-Reuters

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