US President Donald Trump was awarded the newly created FIFA peace prize on Friday during the 2026 World Cup draw, the Associated Press reported.
Trump had been widely expected to win the FIFA honor. His close ties with FIFA president Gianni Infantino played a role, with Infantino previously stating that Trump deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
"This is your prize, this is your peace prize," Infantino declared.
Speaking to reporters upon arriving at the Kennedy Center, Trump said he was uncertain about receiving the award, adding, "I don't need prizes. I just want to save lives."
FIFA described the prize as recognizing "individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world."
Trump had hoped to be named the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize this year, in light of the ceasefire and hostage release deal he brokered between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. However, the prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who dedicated it in part to Trump for "his decisive support of our cause."
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)