Washington, DC (US) [India], December 6 (HBTV): US President Donald Trump has been awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, moments before teams were assigned their tournament groups.
FIFA introduced the award last month, describing it as an honour created ‘to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and, by doing so, have united people across the world’.
In a brief speech on Friday, President Trump called the prize ‘one of the great honours of my life’. He claimed credit for ‘saving millions of lives’ and reiterated previous assertions that he ended several conflicts, including mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May this year — a claim India has consistently rejected, maintaining that no third-party involvement was accepted.
Referring to conflicts abroad, Trump said: ‘The Democratic Republic of the Congo, as an example—over 10 million people killed, and it was heading for another 10 million very quickly... India-Pakistan, so many different wars that we’re able to end, in some cases, a little bit before they started.’ Pakistan has publicly credited Trump for helping broker the May ceasefire, while India has firmly denied such claims.
Presenting the prize, FIFA President Gianni Infantino described it as ‘a beautiful medal... that you can wear everywhere you want to go’, accompanied by a certificate recognising Trump’s ‘exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace’.
The award comes months after Trump missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his repeated push for recognition of his foreign policy initiatives.
Trump’s renewed claims about the India–Pakistan ceasefire follow India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025, carried out in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April that killed 26 people.
The decision to award Trump has drawn criticism from football fans worldwide, many of whom contend that the honour is politically motivated and argue that global sports bodies should avoid political endorsements.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11, with hosts Mexico and Canada playing the opening match. The US is also a co-host for the tournament.
(ANI)