Washington: FIFA, the global governing body for international football, on Friday named United States President Donald Trump as the first recipient of the newly created FIFA Peace Prize during the draw ceremony for next year’s FIFA Men’s World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
Trump declared that “the world is a safer place now” as he accepted the award at the 2026 World Cup draw event at the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president and one of Trump’s closest sporting allies, presented the honour onstage, saying Trump had been chosen “in recognition of his exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace and unity around the world”.
Trump, who has been openly campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize but has not been nominated this year, was widely expected to receive the new FIFA honour, buoyed by Infantino’s strong backing.
The certificate presented by Infantino recognises the US president for his efforts to “promote peace and unity around the world”. FIFA has described the Peace Prize as an award for “individuals who help unite people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions”.
“This is what we want from a leader — a leader that cares about the people,” Infantino said of Trump, who wore a gold medal around his neck and received a gold trophy bearing his name, featuring hands holding up the globe in a design similar to the FIFA World Cup.
As part of his campaign to secure the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump has highlighted a series of claimed peace initiatives, including attempts to broker peace between Israel and Palestine and between India and Pakistan, following an arms exchange triggered by India’s launch of Operation Sindoor to destroy terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan after a terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
India has consistently denied that any ceasefire during Operation Sindoor was reached due to American intervention.
(Inputs from IANS)