Overview
- FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented the new award to the U.S. president onstage at the World Cup 2026 draw at Washington’s Kennedy Center, where Trump received a trophy and medal.
- FIFA credited Trump with “exceptional and extraordinary” actions to promote peace, citing efforts related to Gaza, Southeast Asia, Africa and Ukraine, as well as conflicts such as India–Pakistan and Armenia–Azerbaijan.
- Trump called the honor one of the greatest of his life, asserted that he had saved “millions of lives,” and said the world is safer now.
- FIFA has not disclosed nominees, judges, criteria or the selection process; Human Rights Watch said it formally requested those details, and advocacy group FairSquare condemned the move as damaging to the game’s integrity.
- Coverage highlighted Infantino’s close relationship with Trump, including visits to the White House and Mar-a-Lago and a FIFA office in Trump Tower, as Canada’s Mark Carney and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum also addressed the draw audience.