Overview
- Gianni Infantino awarded President Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw in Washington on Dec. 5.
- FairSquare filed a formal complaint alleging Infantino breached FIFA’s political‑neutrality rules by creating and presenting the prize to a sitting political leader.
- FIFA’s Ethics Committee has not confirmed opening an investigation, though sanctions for neutrality violations can include bans under the Code of Ethics.
- Snopes found viral claims that FIFA rescinded the award to be false, tracing the story to a low‑quality, ad‑stuffed website and noting FIFA has made no such announcement.
- Reporting indicates several FIFA officials were surprised by the prize and that Infantino bypassed the FIFA Council to establish it, fueling wider governance criticism alongside outrage over soaring 2026 World Cup ticket prices.