Saturday, 06 December 2025
Saturday, 06 December 2025
World football’s biggest stage blended spectacle, diplomacy and showmanship in equal measure at the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, where US President Donald Trump received the newly created FIFA peace prize in a ceremony laden with political overtones and celebrity flair.
Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, was the first world leader invited on stage, followed by Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum and then Trump.
Each drew their national team from separate pots, assigning Canada, Mexico and the United States to the first three groups of the expanded 48-team tournament.
Infantino later gathered all three leaders for a selfie as he thanked them for opening the draw.
Trump’s presence dominated the evening after FIFA president Gianni Infantino conferred on him the organisation’s first peace prize.
The US president was also presented with a medal, which he wore immediately.
The US president reflected on watching the Brazilian legend Pele, who lifted the World Cup in 1970, during his time playing for Cosmos towards the end of his career.
Infantino called for a round of applause from the crowd at the mention of Pele, who passed away in 2022.
He told Trump, “This is your prize, this is your peace prize,” praising football’s role as a unifying force even as the accolade marked a departure from FIFA’s conventional focus on sport.
“This is truly one of the great honours of my life and beyond awards, we saved millions of millions of lives,” Trump said after receiving the peace prize.
“The Congo was an example. Over 10 million people killed, and 10 million more would have been killed. India and Pakistan… so many different wars that we were able to end, and in some cases even before they started,” the US President said.
Trump, who has openly sought a Nobel Peace Prize, told reporters at the Kennedy Centre that he did not know if he would be selected for this one and added that he wanted only “to save lives.”
Infantino described the new FIFA Peace Prize as an annual honour for individuals who advance global harmony through “unwavering actions.”
He spoke of shared suffering over images of war and emphasised a desire for hope and unity. FIFA later said the award recognises extraordinary acts that unite people worldwide.
The announcement came during a week in which Trump’s administration faced scrutiny for lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and intensified rhetoric on immigration.
The Nobel Peace Prize this year went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who dedicated it in part to Trump for “his decisive support of our cause.”
Infantino also celebrated the scale of the upcoming tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico, calling the World Cup “the greatest event that humanity has ever, and will ever, see,” with 60 cities hosting matches over 39 days.
The opening match is scheduled for 11 June in Mexico City and the final for 19 July in New Jersey.
Musical star Andrea Bocelli opened the show with Nessun Dorma, the song that became synonymous with Italia 90 World Cup.
Comedian Kevin Hart and model Heidi Klum took the stage next, with Hart revealing that the World Cup Final will feature a Super Bowl style halftime show for the first time.
British Singer songwriter Robbie Williams and US singer Nicole Scherzinger then performed Desire, the new tournament anthem.
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand led the team draw proceedings.
The event featured a lineup of American sporting icons including Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Judge.
Klum returned to co-host the ceremony alongside Hart and actor Danny Ramirez.
Trump, has positioned the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a centrepiece of his second term and a highlight of the upcoming 250th anniversary of US independence.
