A FIFA committee will review the "Peace Prize" created last year and awarded to President Donald Trump as part of a broader examination of governance decisions made during Gianni Infantino's presidency.
Soccer’s global governing body has recently concluded meetings in Zurich, Switzerland—its international headquarters—after which the FIFA Council said it was in the process of addressing a number of issues that had arisen before, during and after the 2026 World Cup. The Peace Prize will be reviewed by FIFA’s Football Social Responsibility Committee—a review focused on its creation as well as the decision to award it to the U.S. president.
"It was decided that the Football Social Responsibility Committee will be tasked to analyze it, provide a proposal, and also, there, a decision will be taken at the next FIFA Council meeting," Infantino said, as quoted by USA Today. FIFA said that the committee would take a decision on the future of the award in December.
Newsweek has contacted FIFA and the White House outside of regular working hours for comment.
What Is the FIFA Peace Prize?
The FIFA Peace Prize, seen as Infantino’s brainchild, was formally unveiled in November 2025.
"In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it’s fundamental to recognize the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace," FIFA’s president said in a post to Instagram.
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A month later, Infantino awarded the inaugural prize to Trump, as the pair appeared together for the 2026 World Cup Draw.
"This is your prize. This is your peace prize," Infantino said as he presented Trump with the trophy and a medal.
"This is truly one of the great honors of my life," Trump said, before claiming that the U.S. had saved "millions and millions of lives" under his watch.
"The world is a safer place now," he continued. "The United States one year ago, was not doing too well a year ago, and now I have to say we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world."
Peace Prize Probe Comes Amid Wider Infantino Scrutiny
In justifying the decision to award Trump the first ever peace prize, FIFA said that Trump had "played a pivotal role in establishing a ceasefire and promoting peace between Israel and Palestine"—a reference to the ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement signed between Israel and Hamas in October 2025—and that he had "actively sought to end other conflicts."
But the move drew widespread scrutiny over why a politically neutral soccer body was creating a peace prize, as well as over the choice of recipient.
United Kingdom-based human rights organization FairSquare requested that FIFA’s Ethics Committee look into the matter and whether Infantino had breached its political impartiality rules.
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During an interview with Sky News in early February 2026—weeks before the launch of the Iran war—Infantino defended the decision by arguing that Trump had been "instrumental in resolving conflicts and saving lives," and said that he expected the U.S. president to receive a Nobel Peace Prize at some point.
However, all aspects of the prize are now being examined, FIFA officials confirmed this week.
"They will consider, first of all, how the Peace Prize came about, whether it should have come about, whether it should have been awarded in the way that it was, who made that decision and whether or not it should be taken out or whether it should be reformed," said FIFA’s Vice President Debbie Hewitt, as quoted by the BBC.
Speaking to media following the Zurich meetings, Hewitt raised several other concerns about Infantino’s presidency that FIFA committees would now be looking into.
This includes the decision to suspend a one-match ban on Team USA’s Folarin Balogun—following apparent pressure from the U.S. president—and the organization’s "Forward Enterprise" plan, a now-scrapped proposal to privatize its World Cup operations.
Further announcements on these issues will be made in December, FIFA said.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Tony Phillips.