Trump Pal Makes Up New FIFA Peace Prize After President‘s Nobel Snub
The FIFA boss has unveiled a “Peace Prize” to be handed out at the World Cup draw, weeks after Trump’s Nobel humiliation.
One of President Donald Trump’s buddies has invented soccer’s version of the Nobel Peace Prize after the president was snubbed for the real thing.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, 55, announced that the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize—Football Unites the World” will be presented during the World Cup Final Draw in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5, according to USA Today.
Infantino presented Trump with the FIFA World Cup Trophy at the White House in August—but will he be handing him a different gong next month?
The Washington Post/Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images
In a statement released ahead of his appearance alongside Trump, 79, at the America Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday, Infantino said the award will honor people who “end conflicts and bring people together.”
FIFA says the peace award will be presented annually to an individual or group “who have helped unite people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions,” with its first presentation rolled into the high-profile draw at the Kennedy Center.
While Trump is likely to attend the draw—which will decide which teams will play each other at next summer’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—Infantino stopped short of saying who would win the manufactured peace prize.
Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami FC, is also set to speak at Wednesday's event in the city.
Johnnie Izquierdo/Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images
If Trump doesn’t win the first FIFA Peace Prize next month, his reaction to not winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize might give some indication about how he might respond.
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Since starting his new term, Trump has been fixated with the Nobel Peace Prize, which he has chased and repeatedly complained about. He then fumed after it went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Wednesday’s get-together in Miami follows a month of peace-themed stagecraft featuring Infantino and Trump.
Trump and Infantino posed for photos at the world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war on October 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Pool/Suzanne Plunkett - Pool / Getty Images
The FIFA chief joined Trump at an Oct. 13 summit billed as supporting a Gaza ceasefire, then told investors in Riyadh on Oct. 28 that football should “invest in happiness” and promote unity.
Infantino has heavily promoted FIFA’s “Football Unites the World” branding this year and has resisted calls to wade into direct sanctions politics, saying football “cannot solve conflict” but should carry a message of peace.
FIFA and Trump announced that the Kennedy Center would be the host venue from the Oval Office in August, complete with a World Cup trophy photo opportunity.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
The draw will map all 104 matches of the expanded 48-team tournament, which kicks off June 11, 2026, and ends July 19, 2026.
The Daily Beast has contacted FIFA and the White House to inquire whether the award would be given to Trump. No response had been forthcoming from either at the time of publication.
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