Trump Receives FIFA’s First-Ever Peace Prize at 2026 World Cup Draw:

The FIFA event took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where Trump thanked FIFA and called the award “one of the great honours” of his life. He has long expressed interest in winning major global peace awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize. According to FIFA, Trump was strongly favoured to win the organisation’s first peace award. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is known to have a close relationship with Trump, openly praised the president for his “efforts to broker a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.” Infantino said that Trump deserved recognition for working toward global peace, even though the prize was a big shift from FIFA’s usual focus on sports. The ceremony also featured Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, and Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, as the three countries will co-host the 2026 World Cup. In a show of spectacle designed to match Trump’s taste for grand events, Infantino arranged for the three leaders to stand at colorful, game-show-style podiums as they drew their teams for the tournament. After the draw, all three leaders posed for a selfie with Infantino. Infantino called the upcoming tournament “unique, stellar, and spectacular.” The 2026 World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19 with a record 104 matches played in 16 host cities. The opening match will feature Mexico against South Africa in Mexico City, followed by South Korea facing a playoff winner. The United States and Canada will play their first matches the next day. FIFA announced the creation of the annual peace prize in November, saying it would honour individuals who take “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace.” A video shown at the event celebrated Trump for his claimed role in helping resolve the war in Gaza and for attempting to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The prize itself is a gold-plated globe held up by hands, noticeably larger than the Nobel Peace Prize medal. Trump also received a medal, which he wore proudly as Infantino praised him for “promoting peace and unity around the world.” Trump said that he and Infantino believed they had “saved millions of lives,” and declared that “the world is a safer place now.” However, many of Trump’s claims were immediately questioned. He told reporters he had “settled eight wars” in his ten months in office, a statement widely disputed by experts. Critics also pointed out that many conflicts Trump mentioned, including the war in Gaza, remain far from resolved. Human rights groups noted the lack of transparency surrounding the new prize. Human Rights Watch said FIFA has refused to release details about nominees, judges, or selection criteria. Despite the controversy, the award added a dramatic twist to the World Cup draw and highlighted FIFA’s growing involvement in global political messages.

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