Trump awarded inaugural FIFA peace prize at World Cup 2026 draw in Washington DC

Trump was awarded the new FIFA peace prize at the 2026 World Cup draw on Friday, December 5,2025 at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

U.S.President Donald Trump has been named the first winner of the newly created FIFA peace prize, claiming, “the world is a safer place now,” as he received the award.

Trump, who has openly campaigned for and long coveted the Nobel Peace Prize, had been heavily favored to win the newly created FIFA prize.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Trump are close allies and Infantino had made it clear that he thought Trump should have won the Nobel for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.

"This is your prize; this is your peace prize," Infantino said.

Infantino informed,Trump has repeatedly spoken about football as a unifier for the world, but the prize is a departure from the federation's traditional focus on sport.

Moreover, Trump told reporters upon arriving at the Kennedy Center in Washington that he didn't know whether he was going to get the award and added, "I don't need prizes. I just want to save lives."

FIFA has described the prize as one that rewards "individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world."

"Thank you very much. This is truly one of the great honors of my life. And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this; we saved millions and millions of lives," Trump said.

Infantino said Trump won the award for "exceptional and extraordinary" actions to promote peace and unity around the world.

FIFA announced the annual prize in November 2025, saying it would recognize people who bring "hope for future generations."