Overview
- At Washington’s Kennedy Center, FIFA president Gianni Infantino lauded Donald Trump and presented a first‑ever Peace Prize during an extended show that preceded the group draw.
- Trump placed the medal around his own neck onstage and cast himself as a global peacemaker, claiming credit for progress from Gaza to Ukraine.
- Human Rights Watch faulted the absence of a transparent selection process, and the ACLU warned the award risks turning FIFA into a platform for authoritarianism.
- Multiple football officials told Politico they were frustrated by Infantino’s move and said the prize had not been formally cleared by the FIFA Council.
- Some voices defended the gesture, with DFB chief Bernd Neuendorf citing Trump’s role in ending the Gaza war and coach Julian Nagelsmann calling the prize an incentive to pursue peace.