When FIFA President Gianni Infantino handed Donald Trump the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” at the Kennedy Center in December 2025, it looked like a feel-good moment between two institutions that love spectacle. By July 2026, that relationship had morphed into something far more uncomfortable: a sitting US president calling the head of global soccer’s governing body to overturn a player’s suspension during the World Cup.
From peace prize to phone call
Trump received the FIFA Peace Prize on December 5, 2025, during the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award cited his administration’s role in facilitating a treaty between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, as well as promoting a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. Trump called it one of the greatest honors of his life.
The prize was announced as the first of what FIFA intends to be an annual award.
Fast forward to July 2026. US forward Folarin Balogun received a red card during a World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, triggering an automatic one-match suspension. Then Trump picked up the phone.
