FIFA has introduced annual Peace Prize, to be awarded on December 5
Speculation arises over Donald Trump's possibility as a recipient
FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Trump as a peace champion
FIFA has not disclosed the selection criteria for the award
FIFA, the global governing body for football, has launched a new annual 'Peace Prize' this week, mirroring the more well-known accolade awarded by the Nobel Committee. The award honours individuals for their exceptional efforts to promote peace.
Commentators have speculated about potential recipients, including US President Donald Trump, who has publicly campaigned for a Nobel Peace Prize, though unsuccessfully. FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Trump have forged a strong alliance in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Trump's Big For FIFA Peace Prize
The global football organisation has released a few specifics about the prize, not indicating if recipients must come from the world of sport, which fueled widespread speculation that Trump might receive it. Trump has openly, and so far unsuccessfully, sought a Nobel Peace Prize.
He has built a strong alliance with Infantino before next year's FIFA World Cup. The two met in Miami on Wednesday, the day FIFA announced its new prize, where both spoke at a conference for business leaders. Infantino previously described Trump as a "champion of world peace".
On October 9, the day before this year's Nobel Peace Prize announcement, Infantino posted on Instagram that Trump "definitely deserves" the award for his reported efforts towards a peace deal in Gaza. The next day, Maria Corina Machado, a pro-democracy activist from Venezuela, was named the Nobel laureate, not Trump.
When asked in Miami on Wednesday if Trump would win the FIFA Peace Prize, Infantino laughed before stating, "On the 5th of December, you will see."
FIFA Peace Prize Announcement, Details
FIFA will announce the new award on December 5 in Washington, coinciding with the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, an arts venue which Trump reshaped this year. The Oval Office revealed the date and venue for this significant football event for players and fans worldwide in August.
The draw ceremony assigns qualifying nations to 12 distinct four-team groups, establishing the schedule for the initial phase of the 104-game tournament across 16 cities in June and July.
This event makes the FIFA World Cup, played every four years, tangible, transforming imagined future rivals into real opponents and allowing spectator travel plans to be finalised. The peace award marks a departure from the draw's traditional, exclusive focus on football-related matters.
FIFA Peace Prize Selection Process
FIFA has not yet detailed the process for choosing a winner. The organisation did not respond to emailed questions sent on Thursday by The Associated Press regarding the selection committee or the criteria.
Infantino wrote on his Instagram account that "it's fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace."
FIFA earlier stated the award should recognise "individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.
While FIFA often promotes football as a means for peace and unity, it has never before established an official peace prize. If Trump receives the FIFA award, it could reinforce the view that the organisation launched the prize because the US President did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. Few FIFA officials came forward on Thursday to discuss the planning around the award.
The introduction of the FIFA Peace Prize comes as FIFA faces renewed criticism over its responses to human rights abuses by countries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, both in terms of World Cup hosting decisions and selective sanctions.
(With AP Inputs)
