US President Donald Trump has received a FIFA Peace Prize, in a move widely seen as a consolation prize for the controversy surrounding his presidency. The award was handed over by Gianni Infantino, who has been a strong ally of Trump's and has been instrumental in shaping the direction of the organization.
The decision to give Trump the prize has been met with criticism from many in the soccer community, who see it as an attempt to whitewash his record on human rights. "Football should not give the prize of peace," said former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, adding that he had previously criticized Infantino's approach to politics in soccer.
Infantino's decision to award Trump the prize has been seen by many as a sign of his own power struggle within the organization. The two men have had a complicated relationship, with Infantino having previously criticized Trump for his handling of human rights issues, including the situation in Gaza.
Trump was awarded the prize during the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C., where he received a gold trophy and a medal from Infantino. The US president expressed his gratitude to everyone involved and stated that "the world is a safer place now."
The decision to award Trump the prize has also been criticized by some of those close to Infantino, who have suggested that the move may be an attempt to shore up support for re-election. While Havelange and Blatter have had their critics, they at least held press conferences during major events.
It remains unclear what Infantino is trying to achieve with this move, but many observers see it as a sign of his own power struggle within the organization.
The decision to give Trump the prize has been met with criticism from many in the soccer community, who see it as an attempt to whitewash his record on human rights. "Football should not give the prize of peace," said former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, adding that he had previously criticized Infantino's approach to politics in soccer.
Infantino's decision to award Trump the prize has been seen by many as a sign of his own power struggle within the organization. The two men have had a complicated relationship, with Infantino having previously criticized Trump for his handling of human rights issues, including the situation in Gaza.
Trump was awarded the prize during the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C., where he received a gold trophy and a medal from Infantino. The US president expressed his gratitude to everyone involved and stated that "the world is a safer place now."
The decision to award Trump the prize has also been criticized by some of those close to Infantino, who have suggested that the move may be an attempt to shore up support for re-election. While Havelange and Blatter have had their critics, they at least held press conferences during major events.
It remains unclear what Infantino is trying to achieve with this move, but many observers see it as a sign of his own power struggle within the organization.
so like, i think fifa should be more careful about who they give the peace prize to lol. trump's got some serious human rights issues under his belt and giving him the prize is kinda like whitewashing everything 
. but at the same time, infantino's trying to consolidate power and all that jazz 
. it's like he's saying "oh yeah, i'm a cool guy now" 
. honestly though, i'd rather see fifa focus on what really matters: making sure the game is for everyone 
.
. like, saying that the world is a safer place? give me a break 
. and infantino's trying to spin this as some kinda power move? yeah right 
. let's see how this all plays out in the coming months 
.
I mean I get why they'd wanna give it to him, considering he's been all about making America Great Again and all, but come on is this really what they're gonna go with? I feel like Infantino just wanted some brownie points with Trump so badly that he was willing to overlook the whole human rights thing 
. And now people are like "oh yeah Infantino must be trying to shore up support for re-election" 
I don't know, maybe I'm just reading too much into this. The Kennedy Center ceremony sounded super fancy btw 
. And can we talk about how Infantino just used this as an excuse to boost his own power struggles 
? Like, who cares about Trump's Peace Prize when the real issues are being ignored in the soccer world? It's all just a mess... 
. Its like trying to whitewash history or something. And now everyone's speculating whether Infantino did it 2 boost his own re-election chances...like, u need more than a peace prize 4 that 
. But hey at least he got a fancy trophy and medal out of it 
.
is Infantino trying to make a point or just trying to get re-elected? 
.
. I do know one thing tho - if infantino thinks this move is gonna silence critics, it's not gonna work because we all know trump's track record on human rights is sketchy at best 
. It feels like they're trying to give him a platform to promote his own agenda instead of recognizing actual peace efforts. Not cool, FIFA 
. It's like they're trying to buy their way into being popular again, and it just won't work.
. And what's up with the whole power struggle thing? Is Infantino just trying to save face now that he's in a tough spot? 
The thing is, I don't think this award is about making the world a safer place - it's more like a PR stunt to keep himself relevant 
.