Donald Trump is expected to receive the first “Peace Prize” from FIFA (International Football Federation) this Friday afternoon (5), marking a new high point in the friendship between the president of the United States and his counterpart in the football governing body, Gianni Infantino.
The new prize, which FIFA announced a month ago, will be awarded during the World Cup draw at Washington’s Kennedy Center — which Trump now presides over after dismissing its board in February.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are also expected to attend the draw. The three countries will co-host the tournament next summer.
FIFA has so far kept the identity of the award winner confidential. When asked at an event recently whether Trump would receive the award, Infantino said, “You’ll see.”
But Trump is expected to be honored for his efforts to end conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Infantino has previously said that Trump should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to secure a ceasefire in Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. The Norway-based committee awarded this year’s prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Friday’s glamorous event will be co-hosted by German supermodel Heidi Klum and Hollywood actor Kevin Hart, and includes a live performance by the Village People. The 1970s disco hit YMCA was a fixture at Trump’s presidential campaign rallies.
Trump and Infantino have forged a close bond in recent years. The FIFA president made regular visits to the White House and Mar-a-Lago, attended Trump’s inauguration in January and opened a new FIFA office inside Trump Tower in New York in July.
At a business event in Miami last month, Infantino said he considered Trump “really a close friend” and called on his opponents to respect the outcome of the 2024 election by supporting his policies.
“He has incredible energy and that’s something I really admire,” Infantino said of Trump. “He gets things done. He does what he says. He says what he thinks. He actually says what many people also think, but perhaps don’t dare to say.”
Trump, who took the stage at the same event shortly afterward, praised Infantino as “an important figure.” The American leader said he would not have been president during next year’s World Cup if not for the “rigged election” in 2020 that subsequently led to him running again in 2024. Trump has repeatedly falsely claimed that Joe Biden stole the 2020 election.
“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” Trump said. “I’m happy with the way things turned out.”
The President of the United States has embraced the World Cup and football more broadly as a platform to reach billions of people around the world. This summer, he presented the trophy at the new FIFA Club World Cup and then stayed to celebrate with the players of the winning team, Chelsea, from the English Premier League.
Last month, Cristiano Ronaldo joined a Saudi delegation at the White House led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump said his son Barron was a “big fan” of Ronaldo, 40, who now plays for Saudi Arabia.
FIFA has secured important achievements ahead of next summer’s World Cup. Tournament ticket holders will have expedited visa appointments under a new program announced last month, while Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” on taxes and spending, passed in July, allocated $625 million in federal funds to help host cities with security costs.
FIFAA officials rejected the idea that the peace prize was just a concession to Trump and pointed to other awards given by the organization to politicians.
In 2019, FIFA gave Mauricio Macri his first “Living Football” award, six months after Argentina’s then-president invited Infantino to give a speech at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires.
Since then, Infantino has become a regular presence at diplomatic meetings like this, including the meeting of world leaders in Egypt, in October, to sign the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held in the territory. Macri now presides over the FIFA Foundation.
In a letter to The Guardian last month, FIFA’s media director defended the new award. “Instead of being criticized for supporting peace in a divided world, FIFA should be recognized for what it is: a global entity that wants to build a better future.”
However, a former FIFA official described the award as “surreal”, “brazen” and a clear violation of the organization’s declared political neutrality.
“This is the world they live in — where lack of shame is an advantage,” said the former leader. “You need to have a good relationship with the host nation — but it goes beyond that.”
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
FIFA has not provided details on how the peace prize was conceived or how the winner will be chosen, drawing criticism from human rights groups over a lack of transparency.
Human Rights Watch said it wrote to FIFA to “request a list of nominees, judges, criteria and process” for the new award, but received no response.
