WASHINGTON — In an unexpected twist at the 2026 World Cup draw, President Donald Trump was honored with the newly established FIFA peace prize on Friday. The event, already a significant occasion for determining matchups in the world’s premier soccer tournament, took on a distinctive Trumpian tone.

Long an advocate for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump was the frontrunner for this newly minted FIFA accolade. His close association with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has vocally supported Trump’s Nobel candidacy for his role in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, likely played a part in his selection.

Upon being awarded, Trump graciously accepted a medal that Infantino described as “a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go.” Alongside the medal, Trump received a certificate recognizing his efforts to “promote peace and unity around the world.”

Infantino praised Trump as the type of leader who prioritizes people’s welfare, presenting him with a gold trophy inscribed with his name. The trophy, symbolizing hands lifting the globe, was offered with the words, “this is your prize, this is your peace prize.”

In his brief acceptance speech, Trump expressed gratitude towards his family, including First Lady Melania Trump. He also commended the collaborative efforts of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, lauding the exceptional coordination between the host nations.

“This is truly one of the great honors of my life,” Trump said.

Infantino has often spoken about soccer as a unifier for the world, but the prize is a departure from the federation’s traditional focus on sport.

The FIFA president was also on hand Thursday at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, where Trump and the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed a deal aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo.

FIFA has described the prize as one that rewards “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.”

The award to Trump came during a week in which his administration has been engaged in shuttle diplomacy to try to end the war in Ukraine, while also under scrutiny for lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and as Trump hardens his rhetoric against immigrants.

The Nobel this year was eventually awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who said shortly after receiving the prize that she was dedicating it in part to Trump for “his decisive support of our cause.”