Trump may remain the only Fifa Peace Prize winner as Infantino faces review of controversial award

Donald Trump could end up as the first and last winner of the Fifa Peace Prize, after Fifa confirmed a formal review of the award that Gianni Infantino controversially presented to the US president last December.

Fifa’s Football Social Responsibility Committee has been tasked with delivering an assessment of the prize, with a decision on its future to be taken at the next Fifa Council meeting in December 2026. Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural award during the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington DC, shortly after Trump had been passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize he had publicly sought.

The review was confirmed in a lengthy statement released following a Fifa Council meeting in Zurich this week — the first such assembly since Infantino’s failed World Cup sell-off plan collapsed. The statement also confirmed that Infantino had apologised to Council members “for the mistakes made in relation to the withdrawn Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal”.

Infantino faced pointed questioning from Council members in Zurich, with FA chair Debbie Hewitt telling reporters she was still seeking answers on several controversies surrounding the Fifa president. Critics say they have yet to receive adequate explanations for Infantino’s role in the FFE plan, the overturning of Folarin Balogun’s suspension during the World Cup, and the circumstances of the Peace Prize itself.

Fifa operates under strict political neutrality rules, and Infantino drew sharp criticism when he publicly declared that Trump “definitely deserved” the award. The original announcement described the prize as one that would “reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world”.

On the Balogun matter, Fifa said a review of its disciplinary procedures would be undertaken by its Legal Committee. Balogun’s suspension had been overturned following a phone call made by Trump to Infantino — a sequence of events that further fuelled accusations of political interference.

Despite calls to resign, Infantino confirmed he intends to stand for re-election in March, closing the Zurich meeting with an appeal for unity and a restatement that “football is for everyone, everywhere”.