Trump Awarded FIFA Peace Prize Amidst Controversy
FIFA President Gianni Infantino heralded the upcoming 2026 World Cup as “unique, stellar, and impressive” at a recent ceremony, while together presenting its inaugural peace prize to former U.S. President Donald Trump. The men’s World Cup is scheduled to run from june 11 to July 19,2026,featuring a record 104 matches across 16 host cities. The tournament will begin with a match between Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, followed by a game between South Korea and a playoff winner. The US and Canada will join the competition the following day.
However, the award ceremony was quickly overshadowed by scrutiny surrounding FIFA’s new prize and the rationale behind Trump’s selection. FIFA announced the annual peace prize in November, stating it would honor “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace.” A video played before the presentation claimed Trump had resolved the war in gaza and was working to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The trophy itself, a gold-plated globe supported by upraised hands, was notably larger than the Nobel Peace Prize medal. Trump also received a medal, which he wore as Infantino praised him for “promoting peace and unity around the world.”
Trump accepted the award, stating, “Thank you very much. This is truly one of the great honours of my life. And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this, we saved millions and millions of lives…The world is a safer place now.” He further asserted that the US was “not doing too well” before his presidency, but is now “the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
Earlier, Trump told reporters he didn’t ”need prizes,” but claimed to have “settled eight wars” within his first 10 months in office. “I don’t need prizes. I need to save lives,” he said. “I saved millions and millions of lives, and that’s really what I want to do.”
This claim of ending eight wars has been widely disputed, with significant work remaining to resolve conflicts, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza, that Trump claims to have ended.
The award comes as Trump faces criticism for increasing US military presence around Venezuela, authorizing air strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats, and implementing a strict immigration crackdown. This crackdown includes threats to relocate World Cup games from cities where troops have been deployed and a freeze on asylum decisions from 19 countries, including World Cup participants Haiti and Iran. Furthermore, Trump recently faced backlash for referring to Somali immigrants as “garbage.”
Concerns have also been raised regarding the lack of transparency surrounding FIFA’s peace prize. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has requested facts from FIFA regarding nominees, judges, criteria, and the selection process, but has yet to receive a response.
Minky Worden of HRW stated, “FIFA’s so-called peace prize is being awarded against a backdrop of violent detentions of immigrants, national guard deployments in US cities, and the obsequious cancellation of FIFA’s own anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns.”
