Gianni Infantino presents US President Donald Trump with FIFA Peace Award

At the 2026 World Cup draw taking place in Washington, DC, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize to his “close friend” Donald Trump. The award was given about 30 minutes into the high-profile ceremony at the Kennedy Center, before teams for next summer’s World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico are going to be selected.

Trump, standing beside Infantino, called the honour “one of the greatest of my life,” adding that their efforts had “saved millions and millions of lives.” The prize, announced by FIFA last month without approval from its governing FIFA Council, was created to recognise individuals whose extraordinary contributions to peace have brought people together worldwide, according to FIFA.

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“A leader must care about the well-being of peoples, we want to unite peoples and Mr. President, you deserve this first prize for what you have accomplished and achieved. And you can always count on my support and that of the football community,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino was quoted as saying after handing the award to Trump.

Donald Trump has maintained a close relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and received a special award two months after being overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize. Recently, FIFA further cemented its connection with US President Donald Trump by appointing his daughter, Ivanka, to the board of a $100 million educational initiative partly funded by ticket sales from the 2026 World Cup. In its announcement of the new award, FIFA stated that it would be presented annually to individuals whose dedicated actions have significantly contributed to bringing people together in peace, deserving of unique and exceptional recognition. The US president thanked his family, including his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and appreciated the leaders of the other two host countries, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, in his brief speech.