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Published : 06 Dec 2025, 10:30 AM
US President Donald Trump said he was not attending the draw for the 2026 World Cup to receive a prize, but he got one anyway.
Trump, who has campaigned aggressively this year for a Nobel Peace Prize, was given FIFA's inaugural peace prize for his efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation in some of the world's biggest hotspots.
The former TV reality show host dominated the scene at Washington’s Kennedy Center on Friday, placing himself squarely at the centre of one of the biggest events in the sporting world in a glitzy, celebrity-studded affair that bore the unmistakable stamp of the president.
The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the soccer tournament next year. The prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, and the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, were there, too, but it was Trump's show from start to finish.
In a nod to Trump’s love of spectacle, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who served as master of ceremonies, had the three leaders stand behind brightly coloured podiums - game-show style - to draw their teams.
After the draw, they all posed for a selfie with Infantino.
"This will be unique, this will be stellar, this will be spectacular,” Infantino said at the outset of the ceremony, referring to next year's games.
But he could also have been talking about the Kennedy Center event itself, which was located in Washington at Trump's urging.
Last month, FIFA announced that a new annual award called the FIFA Peace Prize would be presented at the draw to "reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace".
A video prior to the presentation celebrated Trump for resolving the war in Gaza and trying to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
The trophy, a gold-plated globe carried by upraised hands, was considerably larger than the Nobel, which is just a simple medal.
Trump was given a medal as well and donned it as Infantino lauded him. The president deserved the award for "promoting peace and unity around the world," he said.
“This is truly one of the great honours of my life – and beyond,” Trump said.
He took a moment to congratulate himself. The United States, he said, was "not doing too well" before he took office, but now "we're the hottest country anywhere in the world."
Earlier, Trump told reporters he did not care about the prize, but noted that he had "settled eight wars" in his 10 months in office.
"I don't need prizes. I need to save lives," Trump said. "I saved millions and millions of lives, and that's really what I want to do."
The claim that Trump has ended eight wars this year is widely disputed. Much work remains before most of the conflicts the president claims to have ended, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, can actually be considered resolved.
Trump received the award the same week his administration froze immigration applications from 19 countries after last week's shooting of two National Guard members in Washington.
It also came days after the president demeaned Somali immigrants in the United States as "garbage" - sparking an outcry both at home and abroad.
Trump has frequently made the trappings of the presidency a part of major sporting and cultural events this year. He attended the Super Bowl in February, to a mix of cheers and boos from the crowd, and on Sunday he plans to attend the Kennedy Center Honors, which he eschewed during his first term.
The FIFA event - where 48 teams learned their group stage opponents - opened with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli singing "Nessun Dorma," a favorite of Trump's and a staple at his campaign rallies.
Later, British pop star Robbie Williams and American Broadway chanteuse Nicole Scherzinger sang FIFA's 2026 World Cup anthem with highlights from past tournaments playing on a large video screen behind them.
American sports stars Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal and Aaron Judge - none of them soccer players - also took part. Also on hand was Canadian hockey great Wayne Gretzky.
The World Cup will be held from Jun 11-Jul 19, 2026, with a record 104 matches in 16 host cities.
The spectacle ended with a live performance of the song "YMCA" by the Village People, the crowning touch for yet another event the president made his own.
