Trump wins FIFA’s new peace prize

United States President Donald Trump has been awarded FIFA’s recently created bid prize astatine the gully for the 2026 men’s shot World Cup.

Trump, who has campaigned aggressively for a Nobel Peace Prize, thanked FIFA connected Friday and called the grant “one of the large honours of my life”.

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The US person had been heavy favoured to triumph the shot governing body’s inaugural prize.

He and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are adjacent allies, and Infantino had made it wide that helium thought Trump should person won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to broker a ceasefire successful Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza.

“This is your prize, this is your bid prize,” Infantino said astatine the glitzy, celebrity-studded ceremonial astatine Washington’s Kennedy Center.

Infantino has repeatedly spoken astir shot arsenic a unifier for the world, but the prize is simply a departure from the federation’s accepted absorption connected sport.

The US, on with Canada and Mexico, volition big the shot tourney adjacent year. The premier curate of Canada, Mark Carney, and the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, were astatine the ceremony, too.

In a motion to Trump’s emotion of spectacle, Infantino, who served arsenic maestro of ceremonies, had the 3 leaders basal down brightly coloured podiums – game-show benignant – to gully their teams.

After the draw, they each posed for a selfie with Infantino.

“This volition beryllium unique, this volition beryllium stellar, this volition beryllium spectacular,” Infantino said astatine the outset of the ceremony, referring to adjacent year’s games.

The men’s World Cup volition beryllium held from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with a grounds 104 matches successful 16 big cities. It volition footwear disconnected with Mexico playing South Africa astatine the Azteca Stadium successful Mexico City, followed by South Korea against a playoff winner.

The US and Canada volition articulation the World Cup enactment the pursuing day.

FIFA grant nether scrutiny

FIFA announced the yearly bid prize successful November, saying it would recognise “individuals who person taken exceptional and bonzer actions for peace”.

A video anterior to the presumption celebrated Trump for resolving the warfare successful Gaza and trying to extremity Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine.

The trophy, a gold-plated globe carried by upraised hands, was considerably larger than the Nobel, which is conscionable a elemental medal.

Trump was fixed a medal arsenic good and donned it arsenic Infantino lauded him. The president deserved the grant for “promoting bid and unity astir the world”, helium said.

“Thank you precise much. This is genuinely 1 of the large honours of my life. And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this, we saved millions and millions of lives,” Trump said.

“The satellite is simply a safer spot now.”

The US, helium said, was “not doing excessively well” earlier helium took office, but present “we’re the hottest state anyplace successful the world”.

Earlier, Trump told reporters helium did not attraction astir the prize, but noted that helium had “settled 8 wars” successful his 10 months successful office.

“I don’t request prizes. I request to prevention lives,” Trump said. “I saved millions and millions of lives, and that’s truly what I privation to do.”

The assertion that Trump has ended 8 wars this twelvemonth is wide disputed.

Much enactment remains earlier astir of the conflicts the president claims to person ended, including Israel’s warfare connected Gaza, tin really beryllium considered resolved.

Trump received the grant arsenic helium continues to look disapproval from Democrats and rights groups for launching a immense US subject build-up astir Venezuela and ordering deadly aerial strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats.

He has besides ordered a hardline migration crackdown, threatening to determination World Cup games from cities wherever helium has sent troops and freezing asylum decisions from 19 countries – including World Cup participants Haiti and Iran.

It besides came days aft the president demeaned Somali immigrants successful the US arsenic “garbage” – triggering an outcry some astatine location and abroad.

There has been small transparency astir FIFA’s bid prize.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it has written to FIFA to petition a database of the nominees, the judges, the criteria and the enactment process – and has received nary response.

“FIFA’s alleged bid prize is being awarded against a backdrop of convulsive detentions of immigrants, nationalist defender deployments successful US cities, and the obsequious cancellation of FIFA’s ain anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns,” Minky Worden, who oversees athletics for HRW, said successful a statement.