FIFA Faces Backlash After Inventing New “Peace Prize” to Honor Trump at World Cup Event
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a highly unusual moment at the 2026 World Cup draw, FIFA awarded President Donald Trump the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize, a brand-new honor the organization created just weeks ago to recognize “exceptional” contributions to global peace.
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The prize — officially titled the FIFA Peace Award: Football Unites the World — was introduced in November 2025. Friday’s ceremony at the Kennedy Center marked its first presentation, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino personally handing Trump a gold medal and trophy.
According to reporting from the Associated Press, Infantino praised Trump for “promoting peace and unity,” though FIFA offered no public criteria or specific accomplishments tied to the award.
Trump, accepting the medal, called it “one of the great honors of my life,” claiming his leadership has “saved millions of lives” by preventing new wars.
Because the award did not exist prior to last month, critics immediately questioned whether FIFA engineered the honor specifically for Trump ahead of the World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting.
Some human-rights groups have also urged transparency around how recipients are selected. The Washington Post noted that FIFA’s increasing entanglement with global political leaders has invited scrutiny in recent years, including concerns over soft power influence.
The moment exploded across social media, where political commentators and sports watchers mocked the award as “manufactured,” with some arguing it was designed to soothe Trump after he failed to secure the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Clips of the ceremony — showing Trump walking onstage to accept the medal — went viral within minutes.
Neither FIFA nor the White House responded to criticism about the award’s timing or purpose.
FIFA said the Peace Prize will now be issued annually.