US President Donald Trump has been awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington on Friday. FIFA President Gianni Infantino awarded the Republican leader moments before teams were assigned their tournament groups. The FIFA Peace Prize comes as a consolation to President Donald Trump, who missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year despite his repeated efforts to secure it.
“One of the great honours of my life”: Trump
President Trump, in a brief speech on Friday, called the award one of the great honours of his life. “This is truly one of the great honours of my life, and beyond awards, we saved millions and millions of lives,” Trump said. He also reiterated his claim of ending many wars, including mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May this year. India, however, has consistently denied any third-party involvement.
Watch the video here:
🚨 "Please welcome the very first winner of the FIFA Peace Prize — the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald J. Trump!" pic.twitter.com/wPcObuFBKV
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 5, 2025
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“The Democratic Republic of the Congo, as an example, over 10 million people killed, and it was heading for another 10 million very quickly…India-Pakistan, so many different wars that we’re able to end, in some cases, a little bit before they started, just right before they started. It was going to be late, but we got them done,” he added. FIFA President Infantino, presenting the honour to Trump, said it is “a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go” and a certificate recognising POTUS’s “exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace.”
Here’s why Trump was awarded first-ever FIFA peace prize
FIFA unveiled the new peace prize last month, describing it as an honour meant “to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and, by doing so, have united people across the world.” Trump and Gianni Infantino are close allies, and the latter has openly backed the US President for the Nobel Peace Prize, stating a day earlier that he “definitely deserves” the honor. Infantino had made it clear that he thought Trump should have won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
In a post on Instagram, Infantino wrote, “Congratulations to the 🇺🇸 USA and President Donald J. Trump, 🇶🇦 Qatar, 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇹🇷 Türkiye and all the countries that collaborated to make the ceasefire and agreement on the first phase of the peace process in the Middle East happen. Peace is great news and is giving new hope for all. Everyone around the world should now fully support this peace process. President Donald J. Trump definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his decisive actions”
“Unity was indeed a key theme of discussions at the European Football Clubs General Assembly and, although it is not directly related to football, I had to open my remarks by stating how pleased I was to hear the news about these encouraging developments in the Middle East,” the FIFA President added.
Trump’s mediation claims resurface
Trump’s repeated claim for credit for the ceasefire came months after India carried out Operation Sindoor in May 2025, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack in April that killed 26 people. India, however, has consistently denied any third-party involvement, while Pakistan has publicly credited Trump for helping to broker the ceasefire during the May conflict.
World Cup to begin on June 11, 2026
The award to Trump has irked football fans worldwide, who see the honour as “politically motivated,” arguing that sports shouldn’t be involved in politics. The World Cup will begin on June 11, 2026, with a clash between co-hosts Mexico and Canada. The US is also a co-host for the 2026 World Cup. (With ANI Inputs)
