US President Donald Trump has won FIFA’s newly created Peace Prize in the 2026 Men’s Soccer World Cup draw.
Trump, who has actively promoted the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, on Friday thanked FIFA and called the award “one of the greatest honors of my life.”
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The US coach was heavily favored to win the soccer governing body’s inaugural award.
Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are close allies, and Infantino has said he believes Trump should have won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker a ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.
“This is your award, this is your Peace Prize,” Infantino said at a glitzy ceremony packed with celebrities at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
Infantino has repeatedly spoken of soccer as the unifier of the world, but the award is a departure from the federation’s traditional emphasis on the sport.
The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host a soccer tournament next year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also attended the ceremony.
In a nod to President Trump’s love of spectacle, Infantino, who served as host, had the three leaders stand behind a brightly colored game-show-like podium and had the teams draw.
After the drawing, everyone took a selfie with Infantino.
Infantino opened the ceremony referring to next year’s games, saying: “This is going to be unique, great and spectacular.”
The Men’s World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with a record 104 matches played in 16 host cities. The match will begin with Mexico facing South Africa at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, followed by South Korea facing the playoff winner.
The United States and Canada will participate in the World Cup party the next day.
FIFA Awards under scrutiny
FIFA announced its annual Peace Prize in November, saying it would recognize “individuals who have taken extraordinary and extraordinary actions in the cause of peace.”
A video that preceded the presentation praised Trump for resolving the Gaza war and trying to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The trophy, a gold-plated globe carried in the air, was much larger than the Nobel Prize, which was just a medal.
Trump was also awarded a medal and wore it, as Infantino praised. The president said he deserved the award for “promoting peace and unity around the world.”
President Trump said, “Thank you so much. This is truly one of the great honors of my life. Beyond the award, Gianni and I were talking about this. We saved millions of lives.”
“The world is a safer place now.”
He said the United States was “not doing very well” before he took office, but is now “the hottest country in the world.”
Earlier, Trump told reporters he was not concerned about the award, but said he had “solved eight wars” during his 10 months in office.
“We don’t need prizes. We need to save lives,” Trump said. “I saved millions of lives. That’s what I really want to do.”
President Trump’s claim to have ended eight wars this year is widely disputed.
Much work remains before most of the conflicts that the president claims are over, including Israel’s war on Gaza, can actually be considered resolved.
Trump’s award comes as he continues to face criticism from Democrats and human rights groups for launching a massive U.S. military buildup around Venezuela and ordering deadly airstrikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels.
He has also ordered a tough immigration crackdown, threatening to move World Cup matches from cities where troops are sent and freezing asylum decisions from 19 countries, including World Cup participants Haiti and Iran.
It also came days after the president denigrated Somali immigrants living in the United States as “trash,” sparking backlash at home and abroad.
There has been little transparency regarding FIFA’s Peace Prize.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it had written to FIFA requesting a list of candidates, judges, criteria and selection process, but had not received a response.
“FIFA’s so-called Peace Prize is being awarded against a backdrop of violent detentions of immigrants, the deployment of the National Guard to American cities, and the persistent suspension of FIFA’s own anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns,” Minky Warden, director of sports at HRW, said in a statement.
