U.S. 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 center 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 colored 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 honors 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.”