Overview
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented the prize to President Donald Trump onstage at Washington’s Kennedy Center, giving him a gold trophy, a medal and a certificate praising his efforts to promote peace and unity.
- The award was announced only last month with no published criteria or nominee list, and multiple reports say it was not discussed with the FIFA Council as spokespeople declined to explain how the recipient was chosen.
- Human Rights Watch and other groups sought details on the judging process and warned of reputational risks for FIFA, saying they received no reply to formal inquiries.
- Infantino has publicly lauded Trump in recent months and previously said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, reinforcing expectations that the close allies would feature in the new honor’s debut.
- In brief remarks, Trump called the prize one of the great honors of his life and claimed his actions had saved millions of lives, while coverage noted the award comes during scrutiny of lethal Caribbean anti-drug strikes and after the 2025 Nobel went to María Corina Machado.