Donald Trump receives the first FIFA Peace Award in Washington

WASHINGTON. – The President of the United States, Donald Trump, was distinguished this Friday with the first FIFA Peace Prize, an award created by the highest football organization to recognize, as explained, the “extraordinary action” of the president in mediation processes in conflict zones such as Gaza, Southeast Asia, Africa and Ukraine.

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The award ceremony took place during the pre-draw event for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The United States will be one of the host countries for the tournament along with Mexico and Canada. After receiving the golden trophy and a medal —which Trump himself placed around his neck— the president assured that “the world is now a safer place” and highlighted the role of his administration in several peace agreements reached this year. “A year ago the United States was not doing well, and now we are the most thriving country in the world. And we are going to continue to be,” Trump affirmed, who emphasized his “close collaboration” with the Prime Minister of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, in the organization of the 2026 World Cup.

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Infantino: “This is what we want from a leader”

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, defended the award, pointing out that Trump "undoubtedly deserves it for his actions and for what he has achieved." "We want to live in a safe world, in a safe environment. We want to unite. That's what people are looking for today here and that's what we do at the World Cup," Infantino said during the event.

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Recognition Amid Tensions and Criticism

The award comes at a politically sensitive time for the US president. Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has promoted various diplomatic agreements — “eight,” according to him — but has also faced questions about recent military decisions. Among them, the deployment of forces to pressure the departure from power of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as well as the bombings of vessels identified by Washington as transporting drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific, actions that are currently being evaluated by Congress due to possible legal implications. Civil organizations have also expressed concern about the celebration of the 2026 World Cup in a country where, they claim, there are violations of due process in detentions and deportations of immigrants, and have criticized FIFA's lack of transparency in not disclosing the criteria used to award this new prize.