FIFA President Awards First Ever Peace Prize to Donald Trump — Here’s Why

Soccer is the world's largest sport, with approximately 3.5 billion fans across the globe. With $30 billion in revenue generated by the sport in 2025 alone. Recently, the sport's international governing body, FIFA, which helps to organize and facilitate international competition between teams from various countries, announced that it will be awarding a FIFA Peace Prize annually. But what is it?

According to the sport's governing body, the peace prize is "to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace." Moreover, the distinction is appended to those whose actions embody the spirit of "unit[ing] people across the world."

With events like the World Cup, various exhibition matches, intercontinental tournaments, and various leagues that scout top talent from across the entire planet, FIFA focuses on the global camaraderie these games embody.

The association writes that this peace prize "will be presented to individuals who [...] have helped to unite people all over the world."

The inaugural prize was presented on Dec. 5, 2025, by FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Washington, D.C., in the wake of the 26th World Cup's Final Draw. Its first-ever winner was U.S. President Donald Trump, who said, "The world is a safer place now" upon receiving the distinction.

When presenting the award to Trump, Infantino told the U.S. Commander in Chief: "This is your prize, this is your peace prize. There is also a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go."

Further in Trump's acceptance speech, Trump remarked that being given the distinction was "one of the great honors of [his] life."

He went on to highlight the actions his administration. "[We] saved millions and millions of lives — the Congo is an example, over 10 million people killed and it was heading for another 10 million very quickly. India and Pakistan, so many different wars we were able to end, in some cases just before they started," he told folks at the gallery procession.

The outlet also pointed to the war between Russia and Ukraine. The former nation's annexation of Crimea and providing support to separatists sparked a multi-year conflict that still hasn't stopped. Russia still occupies approximately 20 percent of Ukraine, and both sides have suffered massive casualties.

Unsurprisingly, the decision to honor Trump was met with the typical social media outcries and probably provided fodder for politically motivated bot accounts as well. One X post called FIFA's decision to hand the award over to Trump an "embarrassment."

And then there were others who took issue with the Trump administration's stance on immigration as their source of disdain for his receiving the FIFA Peace Prize. As is to be expected, some people were thrilled by the president receiving the honor, and others were appalled.