Donald Trump has been named the first winner of the newly created Fifa peace prize, receiving the award at the draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC. Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, presented the honour onstage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, saying Trump had been selected “in recognition of his exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace and unity around the world”.
Fifa says the prize is for “individuals who help unite people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions”. The governing body has not disclosed details of the selection process, although a Guardian investigation found that a new “social responsibility” committee chaired by the Myanmar tycoon Zaw Zaw will propose the process for future awards.
Accepting the award, Trump called it “one of the great honours of my life”, before claiming to have “saved millions and millions of lives”. He cited conflicts in the Congo, India and Pakistan, and others he said he helped end. Trump praised Infantino for “setting new records on ticket sales” and said the 2026 tournament would be “an event the likes of which maybe the world has never seen”.
Trump has made questionable claims about the number of conflicts he has “ended” as well as launching military actions with controversial justification. Among the wars Trump claims to have ended is Gaza, where the conflict is still continuing at a lower level. He also claims to have ended the Israel-Iran war, a 12-day conflict in which the US was an active participant.
The decision to give Trump the inaugural Fifa honour is likely to intensify scrutiny of the organisation’s close alignment with his political orbit. Trump has regularly used sporting platforms to bolster his image abroad and has aggressively campaigned for the Nobel peace prize. Infantino’s relationship with Trump has grown increasingly visible ahead of the expanded 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
