United States President Donald Trump has been given the first ever FIFA peace prize at the World Cup draw ceremony in Washington DC.
Mr Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino have formed a close bond and Mr Trump has now been handed a new prize from football’s global governing body which recognises individuals who have made "exceptional contributions to peace and unity".
The award is a hugely controversial one, with human rights campaigners having urged FIFA earlier this week not to hand the prize to Mr Trump.
In accepting the award, Mr Trump said it was "one of the great honours" of his life.
"We've saved millions and millions of lives.
"I want to thank my family, my great First Lady Melania who is a here, thank you very much.
"I want to thank everybody, the world is a safer place now. The USA was not doing well a year ago, now we are the hottest country in the world right now."
United States president Donald Trump was unsurprisingly given the first ever FIFA peace prize at the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony
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However, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch criticised the award of the prize to Mr Trump, citing the US president's record, including violent detentions of immigrants and the militarisation of US cities.
"Awarding this prize against a backdrop of escalating attacks on human rights and civil freedoms - including violent detentions of immigrants, crackdowns on freedom of expression, and the militarisation of US cities - underscores the increasing likelihood of the 2026 World Cup being weaponised for authoritarian aims," a joint release on behalf of a number of groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said.
Mr Infantino has previously praised Mr Trump’s role in the Middle East peace negotiations, while the US is also working to bring an end to the conflict sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
However, questions have been raised over the Trump administration’s conduct over the last week in relation to an attack on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean Sea in September.
Mr Trump also said at a press briefing attended by Infantino last month that he would launch strikes on the territory of fellow World Cup co-hosts Mexico if it stopped drugs being trafficked into the US.
Earlier this week Mr Trump attracted further controversy by describing Somali immigrants to the US as "garbage".
