At the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., held on December 5, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented the organisation’s newly created FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump, marking the first-ever presentation of the award.
What is the FIFA Peace Prize?
FIFA announced the creation of the FIFA Peace Prize—Football Unites the World on November 5, 2025. According to the global football body, the award is intended to honour “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” and who have worked to unite people across borders.
Infantino described the Peace Prize as “not just a FIFA honor, but one from the world’s 5 billion football fans,” highlighting its symbolic weight within the sport’s global community.
Donald Trump Becomes the First Recipient
Trump received the inaugural award during a ceremony where he wore a gold medal and accepted a trophy designed to symbolize global unity. He was praised for what FIFA described as his “role” in global diplomacy, particularly his self-claimed involvement in brokering ceasefires and helping de-escalate international conflicts.
The Peace Prize has been introduced as a new award category under the FIFA Council, and Trump now holds the distinction of being its first honouree.
A Controversial Choice
The recognition has, however, stirred significant controversy.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) sharply criticized the award, pointing out that there was “no transparent procedure, no nominees and no jury” involved. The organisation said even members of the FIFA Council were unaware of the Prize until it was publicly revealed.
HRW’s global sports director Minky Worden condemned the timing and optics of the award, noting that it comes “against a backdrop of violent detentions of immigrants, National Guard deployments in US cities, and the cancellation of FIFA’s own anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns.”
She warned that granting such an honour risks “tainting the credibility of the sport”, while also potentially trivializing the work of genuine global peace efforts and ignoring persistent human-rights concerns.