‘FIFA Peace Prize’ to be awarded at World Cup draw by Gianni Infantino

Martin Macdonald

• 6 Nov 2025 03:01 CST
• 6 min read

Nieuws

FIFA have announced that a special 'peace' award will be given for the first time at the upcoming 2026 World Cup draw.

The next edition of the World Cup will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico and it is the biggest ever iteration of the tournament, with 48 nations set to compete next summer.

The World Cup draw will take place on 5 December at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C, as announced by United States President Donald Trump, flanked by his Vice-President JD. Vance and the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino.

At that event, we will see the inaugural presenting of the 'FIFA Peace Prize' which will acknowledge “individuals who have helped to unite people all over the world in peace”.

A statement from FIFA and Infantino read:

“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.

“Football stands for peace, and on behalf of the entire global football community, the FIFA Peace Prize — Football Unites the World will recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gianni Infantino - FIFA President (@gianni_infantino)

In September, Infantino received an award from the Atlantic Council in New York City for his "unique contributions" to improve the world, at least in the eyes of that council.

In his acceptance speech, he pleaded for peace around the world and said the conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Libya and Ukraine left him in tears.

“I’m a simple football person," he began.

"In this room tonight, we have many more leaders in politics and the economy. Many world leaders are here, many leaders in business. That’s why my plea and the plea coming from everyone who loves football all over the world is actually very simple.

“We all know that we live sadly in a divided world, in an aggressive world, in a complicated world. Like all of you, I suffer when I see children suffer. I cry when I see mothers crying.

"Whether it’s in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Sudan, in Libya, anywhere in the world, there are 80 countries where there are conflicts. We all suffer when we see what is happening. But like many of you as well, I believe that human beings are fundamentally good and not fundamentally bad. And we have to believe in us and dear leaders, we believe in you.

“We need peace in the world. How can we get it? Well, if I knew it, I would have done it long time ago, I don’t know. But the secret, probably like for anything else in life, is to believe in it and to work for it. So let’s just work more. Let’s bring people together more. Let’s just create occasions for people to get to meet each other and know each other a little bit more. We want you to succeed. We want the world to succeed. We want to unite the world and we want peace.”

Infantino is a controversial figure and has received criticism in the past for a number of factors, including FIFA awarding the World Cup to Qatar and then Saudi Arabia despite human right violations by those two countries, while he has come under scrutiny due to his close relationship with Trump.

The President is widely expected to be the recipient of the FIFA Peace Prize.