[Watch] Donald Trump Finally Wins A ‘Peace Prize’, Here’s When & How

Washington: US President Donald Trump has been awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, presented by FIFA, on Friday, December 5, ahead of the 2026 World Cup drawings in Washington. The award, created only a month earlier, was presented by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the ceremony for the tournament that the US will co-host with Mexico and Canada. Trump becomes the first recipient of this honour.

At a ceremony held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, presented Trump with a gold trophy, a medal and a certificate, lauding him for “promoting peace and unity around the world.”

Trump — who has long campaigned for global recognition as a peacemaker — called the award “one of the greatest honors of my life,” claiming that his efforts helped resolve conflicts in regions such as Gaza, Congo, India-Pakistan and beyond.

“This is truly one of the great honours of my life and beyond awards, we saved millions and millions of lives. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, as an example, over 10 million people killed, and it was heading for another 10 million very quickly…India-Pakistan, so many different wars that we’re able to end, in some cases, a little bit before they started, just right before they started. It was going to be late, but we got them done…” he said.

The decision has stirred controversy: critics question the opaque selection process, point to close personal ties between Infantino and Trump, and argue that awarding a peace prize during a sporting event blurs the line between sport and geopolitics.

Still, the FIFA Peace Prize — officially titled “Football Unites the World” — represents a new direction for FIFA, which previously avoided political or diplomatic accolades. The award appears tailored to boost both FIFA’s global image and Trump’s peacemaker narrative.