By Zoila Palma: U.S. President Donald Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize on Friday during the official draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington, D.C, BBC reports.
The award, created by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, honors individuals who have taken “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace.” Trump, who arrived at the event alongside Infantino and has made several joint public appearances with him in recent months, accepted the golden trophy, medal, and certificate before delivering a speech praising diplomatic efforts he said had “saved tens of millions of lives.”
During his remarks, Trump called the award “one of the great honours of my life” and touted the upcoming World Cup as a record-setting tournament in ticket sales.
He also praised Infantino’s leadership and joked about America’s use of the word “soccer,” suggesting it was time to find a new name for the NFL.
After the ceremony, Trump returned to the stage with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney to conduct the ceremonial opening of the draw, where the leaders pulled the balls for their already-assigned groups and posed for a selfie with Infantino.
The event carried a distinctly political tone, staged just a mile from the White House at the Kennedy Center, which Trump now chairs following a board overhaul. Critics argue that the new FIFA Peace Prize — introduced and awarded in the same ceremony — reflects an increasingly close relationship between Trump and Infantino, raising concerns about FIFA’s commitment to political neutrality.