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Individual prize created in 2025
International peace award presented by FIFA
Award
FIFA Peace Prize
Football Unites the World
Awarded for
Exceptional actions for peace and unity in line with FIFA's motto Football Unites the World
The FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World is an international peace award presented by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the global governing body of association football. Established in 2025, the annual prize is intended to honour individuals whose actions FIFA characterises as exceptional contributions to peace and unity, reflecting its campaign slogan "Football Unites the World".[1][2] According to FIFA, the purpose of the prize is to "reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world".[1]
The inaugural FIFA Peace Prize was awarded on 5 December 2025 to United States president Donald Trump during the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C..[3][4][5] FIFA stated that the award recognised his "exceptional and extraordinary" efforts to promote peace and unity, citing involvement in ceasefire efforts and diplomatic engagements in several conflicts.[1][6][7]
The creation of the prize, and the choice of Trump as its first recipient, generated widespread scrutiny and controversy. Human rights groups, analysts and football stakeholders questioned the transparency of the selection process, the suitability of the inaugural laureate, and the implications for FIFA's claims of political neutrality and its human rights commitments.[8][9][10][11]
History
Creation and purpose
FIFA announced the creation of the FIFA Peace Prize in late 2025 as a special distinction intended to recognise "exceptional actions for peace and unity" by individuals whose efforts align with its social responsibility messaging and the motto "Football Unites the World".[1][2] The prize was first unveiled on 5 November 2025 in Miami at a conference of business leaders, where FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented it as part of the organisation's "Football Unites the World" campaign.[12][13][14]
FIFA stated that the prize would be awarded annually "on behalf of all football-loving people", emphasising the sport’s capacity to act as a unifying force across political and social divides.[1] The initiative was presented as part of FIFA’s broader attempts to position football as a tool for dialogue, reconciliation, and humanitarian engagement.[5][1] Media reports noted that the Peace Prize expanded FIFA’s engagement with overtly political themes, in contrast to existing awards such as the FIFA Fair Play Award, which focus on sportsmanship within the game.[4][5][3] Some commentators drew parallels with earlier symbolic peace-related collaborations, including the "Handshake for Peace" protocol developed with the Nobel Peace Center for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[15][16]
Selection process and committee
FIFA stated that the Peace Prize would be awarded on the recommendation of an independent committee. However, as of the first award, the organisation had not disclosed detailed nomination procedures or evaluation criteria.[4][2] FIFA had also not made clear the manner by which the recipient was selected or the exact form the prize would take.[17]
According to The New York Times, the prize was not discussed at the FIFA Council or with FIFA vice presidents, none of whom had input into the selection criteria, prior to its creation in October 2025.[18] The process behind the award was not made public: there were no nominations announced and no formal selection criteria given.[18][19] Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, criticised the lack of transparency, reporting that queries about nominees, judges, and criteria remained unanswered.[20][9][10]
Investigations by The Guardian and other outlets identified Zaw Zaw, a Myanmar businessman and long-serving president of the Myanmar Football Federation, as chair of the selection committee.[21][22] Critics highlighted his alleged ties to Myanmar’s former military junta and to human rights abuses against the Rohingya people, raising concerns about the credibility of a peace-related award under his oversight.[21][22][20]
2025 award to Donald Trump
Background
On 9 October 2025, Infantino made an Instagram post saying that Donald Trump deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in a proposed Gaza peace plan.[18] The post was widely reported and interpreted by commentators as signalling that Trump was a leading candidate for FIFA's new prize.[18][23][24] Infantino subsequently faced criticism for his perceived closeness with Trump and for potentially violating FIFA's rules on political neutrality.[25][26][27]
Infantino with US president Donald Trump and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani earlier in 2025
Ceremony
The inaugural award was presented on 5 December 2025 during the final draw and seeding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.[3][4][5][28] Infantino announced the prize before inviting Trump onstage to receive it in front of delegates from competing nations, political leaders, and invited guests.[29][3][4] Trump received a large golden trophy shaped as upraised hands supporting a globe, as well as a gold medal and an illuminated citation outlining FIFA’s rationale for the award.[5][4][6] Contemporary reports also noted that he was presented with a formal certificate.[6][30] The ceremony formed part of a wider programme of speeches and performances and received substantial global media coverage.[3][11][31][30]
Rationale and FIFA's explanation
FIFA stated that Trump was selected for "exceptional and extraordinary" actions in advancing peace and unity, citing claimed roles in brokering a Gaza ceasefire and in negotiations concerning conflicts in the eastern Congo, Ukraine, and elsewhere.[1][4][6][32] Infantino praised Trump for efforts he claimed had "saved lives" and brought parties in protracted disputes to negotiation tables.[3][31][4]
In his acceptance speech, Trump described the prize as one of the greatest honours of his life, reiterated prior claims about preventing or resolving multiple conflicts, and suggested that he had merited the Nobel Peace Prize.[4][7][33] Some claims—such as playing a decisive role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan—were disputed or downplayed by analysts and officials in the concerned countries.[7][3]
Reception and criticism
The award prompted widespread criticism from human rights organisations, media commentators, and football stakeholders. Supporters cited Trump’s involvement in specific diplomatic initiatives and argued that an international sports body could legitimately recognise efforts to reduce conflict.[7][32] However, many observers questioned the appropriateness of honouring a sitting political leader whose record on human rights and conflict remained contested.[8][33][11]Amnesty International and other rights groups criticised the launch of a peace prize while, in their view, FIFA continued to fall short on ensuring labour protections and safeguarding rights associated with its tournaments and commercial partners.[9][10] Amnesty argued that FIFA should prioritise enforceable human rights standards for host nations instead of symbolic awards.[9]Human Rights Watch similarly condemned the secrecy of the selection process.[20][18]
David Smith of The Guardian described the World Cup draw event at which the award was given as a "cheesy, gaudy and gauche World Cup draw expertly designed to flatter the world’s most precious ego".[34]Nancy Armour, a sports columnist for USA Today, called the prize "FIFA’s made-up, not-to-be-taken-seriously-at-all token award that was created solely for the purpose of stroking the president’s considerable ego".[35] Coverage in The Ringer and SBS News similarly questioned the award's legitimacy and the decision to select Trump as the inaugural laureate.[36][37]
Some analysts characterised the award as a form of sportswashing, arguing that it risked enhancing the reputations of both FIFA and political figures through the language of peace.[3][8][11][33] Coverage in The Guardian and The New Humanitarian questioned whether an organisation criticised for corruption scandals and abuses linked to past World Cups was well placed to grant a prestigious peace award.[3][11][16][38]
The choice attracted criticism from fans, football journalists, news media, and football clubs, with critics pointing to aspects of Trump’s foreign and security policy. Commentators highlighted, among other issues, his administration’s deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean and his support for Israel in the Israel–Gaza war.[34][39][40][19] Former Socceroo and human rights advocate Craig Foster called it "a shameful day for the beautiful game".[40]
Relationship to other FIFA initiatives
The peace prize is frequently discussed alongside FIFA’s earlier symbolic peace campaigns. In 2012, FIFA partnered with the Nobel Peace Center to promote the "Handshake for Peace", adopted during the 2014 World Cup.[15][16] The partnership ended in 2015 when the Nobel Peace Center withdrew in response to corruption allegations within FIFA.[16][38][41]
Commentators have contrasted the handshake initiative—focused on match conduct—with the Peace Prize’s emphasis on geopolitical actors and global diplomacy. Analysts differ on whether the award signals a strategic effort by FIFA to act as a diplomatic actor or risks further entangling the organisation in political controversies.[8][10][11]
Laureates
As of 2025, the FIFA Peace Prize has been awarded once.
Recognised by FIFA for what it described as exceptional actions to promote peace and unity around the world, including involvement in ceasefire and peace initiatives in several conflicts.[1][3][4][5]
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