For years, Donald Trump has claimed—sometimes jokingly, sometimes emphatically—that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
Although he campaigned heavily for the honor and repeatedly insisted his diplomatic efforts qualified him, the prestigious award ultimately went this year to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
But in a twist nobody saw coming, Trump has now received a different kind of peace accolade: the newly created FIFA Peace Prize, unveiled during the World Cup Draw ceremony. And the former President wasted no time issuing a characteristically bold response.
A New Peace Prize, a Global Stage
The award was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., during the official draw event for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The venue was already buzzing with international leaders, officials, and athletes—but the moment FIFA President Gianni Infantino called Trump on stage instantly became the night’s main event.
Infantino presented Trump with a gold medal symbolizing the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize, an honor the organization says is intended to “reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace, uniting people across the world.”
Trump immediately placed the medal around his neck, visibly pleased, and posed beside a gleaming trophy.
Trump’s Dramatic Acceptance
Accompanied by former First Lady Melania Trump, the former President delivered a short but emotional message, calling the award “one of the great honors of my life.”
For a man who has spent years openly lobbying for global recognition for his diplomatic moves, the moment appeared deeply personal.
Trump has long argued that his presidency prevented—or ended—major international conflicts. He has repeatedly pointed to meetings with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, diplomatic pressure on NATO, and negotiations in the Middle East as proof of his peace-driven approach.
He once told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“They’ll never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.”
The FIFA award, then, seems to have arrived as a symbolic consolation—one that Trump immediately embraced.
Rewriting His Own Legacy of Peace
In recent months, Trump has intensified his push to shape a legacy around global peace. At an August summit with Ukrainian and European leaders, he once again argued that he should have been recognized internationally for his diplomacy.
“I’ve done six wars—I’ve ended six wars,” Trump said, in a statement that raised eyebrows and spurred debate. “If you look at the six deals I settled this year, they were all at war. I didn’t do any ceasefires.”
Although the accuracy of those claims has been widely contested, Trump has stuck firmly to his narrative, even going so far as to rename the U.S. Institute of Peace after himself. The updated sign outside the building now reads:
“The Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace.”
The move was widely criticized but perfectly aligned with Trump’s long-established strategy: if traditional institutions refuse to grant him the recognition he believes he deserves, he will create a new narrative—and sometimes, even new institutions.
A Prize That Raises Questions
The FIFA Peace Prize itself has sparked curiosity and confusion. FIFA is traditionally known for football governance, not global diplomacy. The sudden introduction of a peace-themed award—with Trump as its first-ever recipient—has prompted speculation about:
whether the award was created with Trump in mind,
how FIFA defines “extraordinary actions for peace,”
and why this announcement was timed with the World Cup Draw.
Regardless, Trump has embraced the honor wholeheartedly.
The Symbolism Behind the Medal
For Trump, the FIFA Peace Prize isn’t just a medal—it is a validation of something the Nobel committee denied him.
It is, in many ways, Trump’s own version of rewriting history: a symbolic victory in his long-running quest to be recognized as a global peacemaker.
Whether this new award will be remembered as a sincere diplomatic tribute or as a curious footnote in Trump’s political saga remains to be seen.
But one thing is undeniable: it has certainly gotten the world talking.