WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was awarded the new FIFA peace prize on Friday at the 2026 World Cup draw — giving the soccer spectacle to set matchups for the quadrennial tournament even more of a Trumpian flair.
Trump, who has openly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize, had been heavily favored to win the newly created FIFA prize. He and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are close allies, and Infantino had made clear that he thought Trump should have won the Nobel for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
The certificate that Infantino handed Trump recognizes the U.S. president for his actions to “promote peace and unity around the world.”
“This is what we want from a leader — a leader that cares about the people,” Infantino said about Trump, who wore a gold medal around his neck and was presented with a gold trophy with his name on it that depicts hands holding up the world. Infantino declared to Trump, “this is your prize, this is your peace prize.”
Trump expressed gratitude to his family, including his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and acknowledged the leaders of the other two host nations — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — during his brief remarks.
“This is truly one of the great honors of my life,” Trump stated.
Infantino has often spoken about soccer as a unifying force in the world, but the prize is a departure from FIFA’s traditional sport-focused objectives. FIFA described the award as recognizing individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace, thereby uniting people across the globe.
This event coincides with Trump's administration being under scrutiny for lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and as Trump stepped up his rhetoric against immigrants.
The Nobel Peace Prize this year was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who commented after receiving the prize that she was dedicating part of her achievement to Trump for his “decisive support of our cause.”
