Trump openly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize and long sought global recognition. Experts heavily favored him to receive the newly created FIFA award. US President Donald Trump accepted the FIFA peace prize during the 2026 World Cup draw on Friday. The event gained a pronounced Trump-focused atmosphere, emphasizing his presence in the tournament’s proceedings.
Close Ties Shape the Award
Trump maintained a strong alliance with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who publicly supported him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Infantino praised Trump’s efforts to broker a Gaza ceasefire and said, “This is your prize, this is your peace prize.” Infantino consistently highlighted football as a global unifier, yet this award marked a notable shift from FIFA’s traditional sports-centered focus. Trump told reporters at the Kennedy Centre in Washington that he had not expected the award. He added, “I don’t need prizes. I just want to save lives.”
Context and Global Reactions
FIFA described the prize as honoring “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people worldwide.” The announcement arrived amid scrutiny over lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Trump’s increasingly hardline immigration rhetoric. The Nobel Peace Prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who shortly afterward credited Trump for “his decisive support of our cause.”
