WASHINGTON (TNND) — After President Donald Trump missed his chance at the Nobel Peace Prize in October, speculation seems to be tipping in his favor as FIFA visits Washington, D.C., for the 2026 World Cup draw and intends to award its inaugural Peace Prize.
The two-hour event will take place at the Kennedy Center and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will also be present at the draw.
People arrive for the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Trump will reportedly be given a couple of minutes to speak, but no time limit has been set.
After Venezuelan democracy advocate María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize, FIFA subsequently announced its own Peace Prize, with rumors immediately swirling that Trump would receive it.
FIFA said the award will be given out every year to “individuals who, through their unwavering commitment and their special actions, have helped to unite people all over the world in peace and consequently deserve a special and unique recognition.”
“In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it’s fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.
Infantino wrote on Instagram after the Israel-Gaza ceasefire that Trump deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio listen as FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a meeting with the White House task force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“Peace is great news and is giving new hope for all. Everyone around the world should now fully support this peace process,” he said.
FIFA’s Peace Prize has been under scrutiny by Human Rights Watch over its process and criteria to hand out such an award.
The global human rights and advocacy organization recently wrote a letter to FIFA requesting more transparency, but stated it received no response.
“FIFA’s so-called peace prize is being awarded against a backdrop of violent detentions of immigrants, national guard deployments in US cities, and the obsequious cancellation of FIFA’s own anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns,” Minky Worden, who oversees sport for Human Rights Watch, said. “There is still time to honor FIFA’s promises for a World Cup not tainted by human rights abuses, but the clock is ticking.”
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