GENEVA,- The world’s governing body of football, FIFA, has introduced the ‘Peace Prize’ that will be awarded to individuals “who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” uniting people across the globe, the FIFA press office announced in a statement on Wednesday.
“The ‘FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World’ will be bestowed on behalf of all football loving people from all around the world – more than five billion of the world’s population,” the statement reads.
“With their daily actions in and for football, all these people contribute to FIFA’s motto ‘Football unites the World’ as they unite girls and boys, women and men around passion, joy, hope and happiness and it is therefore only fitting that a special award recognizes a special achievement,” the statement continued.
According to FIFA, ‘The Peace Prize,’ “will be bestowed on an annual basis” and the “first winner is to receive the award from FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday, December 5, 2025.”
“FIFA has announced the introduction of the ‘FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World’ to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world,” the statement added.
Commenting on the introduction of the Peace Prize, FIFA President Infantino said: “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.”
“Football stands for peace, and on behalf of the entire global football community, the FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World will recognize the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations,” the FIFA chief added.
The Peace Prize will be awarded for the first time during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw procedure, which take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington·DC also on December 5.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The matches will be played in 16 cities across the three continents. For the first time, 48 teams will battle it out at the FIFA World Cup. At all previous World Cup’s, only 32 teams competed.
