It’s not the Nobel, but FIFA finally gave Trump a peace prize
President Donald Trump’s mission of winning an international peace prize finally came to an end Friday. Instead of the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, however, he was awarded the brand-new FIFA Peace Prize, according to The Associated Press.
The global soccer federation presented the new award to Trump in Washington during the drawing for matchups for the 2026 World Cup. The New York Times previously reported that FIFA officials would give Trump the award.
During the award ceremony, FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Trump saying he was a great example of a strong leader.
“This is what we want from a leader — a leader that cares about the people,” Infantino said. “This is your prize, this is your peace prize.”
Trump looked overjoyed during the ceremony, even saying, “This is truly one of the great honors of my life.” He thanked his family, as well as the leaders of the host countries, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Trump said the coordination among the three countries has been “outstanding.”
The award’s creation highlights the relationship between Trump and FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino. The two have had several high-profile meetings at events unrelated to soccer or even sports, according to The Times.
What is Infantino’s relationship with Trump?
Trump and Infantino grew close during Trump’s first term, after FIFA selected the U.S. as a co-host for the 2026 World Cup. Infantino has traveled thousands of miles for events with Trump, according to The Times. In one instance, Infantino arrived hours late to a FIFA annual meeting in Paraguay after touring the Persian Gulf with Trump. His tardiness prompted European soccer officials to leave the meeting.
Trump has gone as far as to call Infantino “my boy” during a Miami business summit in November.
“The president of FIFA — Gianni Infantino,” Trump said. “Wow, Gianni, my boy. I didn’t know he was going to be here.”
While FIFA statutes require officials to maintain political neutrality in public, Infantino has offered support for the Trump administration’s agenda, according to The Times.
“We should all support what [Trump’s] doing,” Infantino said during an event in Miami, adding that he thought it was “looking pretty good.”
The former head of FIFA governance, Miguel Maduro, said the federation values close relationships with world leaders. However, he believed Infantino went too far in supporting Trump’s agenda.
“That is clearly, in my view, a violation of the duty of political neutrality imposed by FIFA’s code of ethics,” he said.
Infantino said close relationships with the U.S. administration are vital to ensuring a successful World Cup. Since the U.S. is hosting most of the games, FIFA said it requires elaborate coordination.
What is the award?
Trump’s new FIFA peace prize is technically not the first award Infantino gave him. During a White House visit in August, Infantino showed off a replica of the World Cup trophy. Trump admired the “beautiful piece of gold” before asking to keep it.
FIFA said the award, dubbed the FIFA Peace Prize — Football Unites the World, is meant to “reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.” Officials announced Trump as the winner during Friday’s drawing for the 2026 World Cup pairings.
The association held the event at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Trump faced criticism earlier this year after he fired the center’s leadership and placed supporters on the board.
Now, new criticism of the center emerged after Democrats alleged that the Trump administration gave FIFA an unfair deal to use the venue. The center denied the claim.
Details of the event suggested that FIFA would not pay to use the center, The Times reported. But Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi said FIFA would pay $5 million in unspecified sponsorships and would make a $2.4 million donation.
When is the World Cup?
With a record-breaking 104 games in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the 2026 World Cup will be one of the biggest sporting events in the world. The scale of the event required years of planning, according to The Times.
The White House created a World Cup task force to support planning. The task force, overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, has more than a dozen employees. These employees are working with federal, state and local officials to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The White House required every agency involved to submit a report about efforts to enhance security in the 11 cities hosting games. In the past, Trump has cited security threats as a reason to pull the games out of Democratic-run host cities. That has not happened yet, but FIFA officials said the administration has final say on where matches are played.
During an Oval Office press conference, Trump pulled Infantino into the debate when he brought up self-described socialist Katie Wilson’s election as Seattle’s mayor. Trump asked Infantino if they would move the games out of Seattle.
“ I think safety and security is the number one priority for a successful World Cup,” Infantino responded. “It’s the responsibility, of course, of the government, of [Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem], of everyone. Obviously, we will discuss.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
