FIFA is reviewing the future of its Peace Prize, an award that could be abolished less than a year after it was first presented to U.S. President Donald Trump. At a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on October 15, 2026, several council members pressed FIFA President Gianni Infantino to scrap the award or strip it of its political character. The matter now goes to FIFA's 22-member Football Social Responsibility Committee, with a final decision expected at the next Council meeting in Doha on December 16, 2026.
How the Prize Came to Be
FIFA announced the Peace Prize in November 2025 as an annual honor for "individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world." On December 5, 2025, during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Infantino personally presented the inaugural award to Trump: a golden trophy, a medal, and a certificate.
"This is your prize. This is your peace prize," Infantino said, praising what he called Trump's "unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity throughout the world." Trump called it "truly one of the great honors of my life." The award came weeks after the Norwegian Nobel Committee passed Trump over for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Council's Objections
According to The Guardian, senior figures on FIFA's 37-member council told Infantino the prize should be scrapped or overhauled. Their core argument: the award was never formally signed off by the Council. Multiple reports said Infantino did not inform the council before creating it, and the voting process behind Trump's selection has never been made public.
Critics also say honoring a sitting political leader conflicts with FIFA's political neutrality — Article 2 of FIFA's statutes prohibits political or governmental interference in football. The Norwegian Football Federation has filed formal complaints with FIFA bodies, and its president Lise Klaveness called for the prize's abolition in April. Human-rights group FairSquare lodged an ethics complaint, and 50 members of the European Parliament called for a FIFA investigation. One council member told The Guardian the most likely reform discussed was recasting the prize for someone in football whose work promotes social harmony, with politicians barred from receiving it.
What Infantino and Trump's Camp Say
Infantino did not eliminate the prize at the Zurich meeting. In a FIFA news release, he said: "It was decided that the Football Social Responsibility Committee will be tasked to analyze it, provide a proposal, and also, there, a decision will be taken at the next FIFA Council meeting." FIFA Vice President Debbie Hewitt said the committee "will consider, first of all, how the Peace Prize came about, whether it should have come about, whether it should have been awarded in the way that it was, who made that decision and whether or not it should be taken out or whether it should be reformed." Trump's selection was tied to the October 2025 Israel-Hamas ceasefire, and the White House has publicly defended his receipt of the prize.
What Happens Next
The Football Social Responsibility Committee, whose deputy chair is former Inter Milan defender Javier Zanetti, will now examine how the award originated, who approved Trump's selection, and whether different rules should govern future recipients. Its proposal goes to the FIFA Council in Doha on December 16, 2026, where the final call will be made.
If the prize is abolished, Trump would remain its first and only winner. If it survives in depoliticized form, future recipients would likely come from within football. Either outcome sets a precedent for how FIFA handles political recognitions. The review is part of wider scrutiny of Infantino's leadership — he also apologized at the Zurich meeting for mistakes around the withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise plan — even as he stands for re-election next March.