US President Donald Trump said he would not attend the draw for the 2026 World Cup to receive a prize, but he received one anyway. Trump, who has campaigned hard this year for a Nobel Peace Prize, was awarded FIFA’s first peace prize for his efforts to encourage dialogue and reduce tensions in some of the world’s hotspots.
Trump honored with FIFA’s First Peace Prize at 2026 World Cup
Amid the TV cameras and flashing lights from the press, Trump took over the scene at Washington’s Kennedy Center on Friday, putting himself at the center of one of the biggest events in sports. The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the soccer tournament next year. The PM of Canada, Mark Carney, and the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, were also there, but it was clearly Trump’s event.
“This will be unique, this will be stellar, this will be spectacular,” said Gianni Infantino, the outgoing president of FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, at the start of the ceremony, discussing next year’s games. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli sang “Nessun Dorma,” a favorite of Trump’s and a common feature at his campaign rallies, to kick off the event.
Got praise for promoting unity and peace in the world
A video before the presentation praised Trump for resolving the war in Gaza and working to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The trophy, a gold-plated globe held up by raised hands, was much larger than the Nobel Prize, which is just a medal.
However, Trump received a medal as well and wore it while Infantino praised him. The president earned the award for “promoting peace and unity around the world,” Infantino said. Trump referred to the award as “an awfully nice tribute to you and the game of football, or as we call it, soccer.”
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