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Trump all smiles as he wins FIFA's new peace prize
The U.S. president often insists that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending what he says are eight conflicts this year, including a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
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AFP - Fri, 05, Dec 2025
- 15:31 EST
- 21
U.S. President Donald Trump awarded FIFA's inaugural peace prize on Dec. 5, 2025. / Screengrab/FIFA
U.S. President Donald Trump became the first-ever recipient of FIFA's new peace prize at the 2026 World Cup draw Dec. 5—a compensation gift for a leader whose dream of winning the Nobel remains unfulfilled.
Gianni Infantino, the head of world football's governing body and a close ally of Trump, presented the 79-year-old with the award during the ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
"Thank you very much. This is truly one of the great honors of my life. And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this, we saved millions and millions of lives," Trump said.
Infantino said Trump won the award for "exceptional and extraordinary" actions to promote peace and unity around the world.
PEACE PRESIDENT. ️@FIFAWorldCup President Gianni Infantino awards President Donald J. Trump the inaugural 2025 FIFA Peace Prize, dedicated to an individual who achieved exceptional and extraordinary action to promote peace and unity around the world. pic.twitter.com/mfKKDb9w59
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 5, 2025
FIFA announced the annual prize in November, saying it would recognize people who bring "hope for future generations."
Infantino, 55, has developed a tight relationship with Trump, visiting the White House more than any world leader since Trump's return to office in January.
The US president often insists that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending what he says are eight conflicts this year, including a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
He was snubbed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee last month as it awarded the peace prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Trump has put himself at the head of a "board of peace" for war-torn Gaza—Infantino also attended the signing of that peace deal in Egypt—while his administration this week renamed a Washington peace institute after him.
The U.S. leader has made the World Cup a centerpiece of his second presidency.
Yet it was an extraordinary gesture for FIFA, a sporting organization that trumpets its political neutrality.
There has been little transparency around the prize. Human Rights Watch says it has written to FIFA to request a list of the nominees, the judges, the criteria and the selection process -- and has received no response.
The prize came as Trump faces criticism from Democrats and rights groups on a host of issues.
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