President Trump said winning the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize was "truly one of the great honors" of his life at the 2026 World Cup Draw on Friday.
Why it matters: The largely symbolic prize comes months after the president lost his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize despite leaning heavily into foreign diplomacy in his second term.
What they're saying: "We saved millions and millions of lives," Trump told the crowd gathered at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center.
- "The fact that we could do that, in India, Pakistan, so many different wars that we were able to end, in some cases, a little bit before they started, just right before they started … but we got them done," he said.
- Trump also praised soccer for its ability to unite countries, and said the World Cup would be an event "the likes of which maybe the world has never seen, based on the enthusiasm that I've seen."
Driving the news: The president was awarded the prize for exemplifying an "unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity throughout the world through their notable leadership," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
- Trump has claimed to have ended 7-9 different wars, depending on the day, and signed a largely aspirational peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda earlier this week.
State of play: The president was joined by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — whose countries will also host World Cup matches — at the draw, which determines who among the 48 participating nations plays whom in the tournament.
- It's the first time Trump has ever come face-to-face with Sheinbaum, and the first time he's seen Carney since accusing Canadian officials of trying to influence a Supreme Court case challenging his tariffs.
- Sports legends Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky and Shaquille O'Neal were also in attendance.
The intrigue: The president has long craved a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in brokering peace in conflicts abroad, and some MAGA loyalists felt he was slighted when this year's award went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
- While only FIFA — not the president — dictates where World Cup matches are played, Trump can exercise control over international players' visas and other logistical components that have made the organization tread lightly, especially after Trump threatened to move matches out of Democrat-run cities not complying with his agenda.
Zoom out: Trump's focus on foreign policy over domestic kitchen-table issues this year has created fissures in the MAGA movement, as some supporters feel the president has deviated from his "America First" campaign promise.
Go deeper: Here are the "8 wars" Trump says he deserves a Nobel Prize for ending
