FIFA has put the future of the FIFA Peace Prize under formal review, less than a year after the award was created and handed to U.S. President Donald Trump in a move that split world football’s governing body and drew accusations that its president breached political neutrality.

Meeting in Zurich on Thursday, Oct. 15, the FIFA Council referred the award’s fate to FIFA’s Football Social Responsibility Committee, which will analyze the prize and recommend whether it should be scrapped, reformed — or reshaped into an award that politicians cannot win. A decision is expected at the council’s next meeting in Doha, Qatar, on Dec. 16, 2026.

The review follows a stormy council session in which, according to reporting by The Guardian and others, several council members pressed FIFA president Gianni Infantino to abolish the award or strip it of its political character. Some members pushed for full abolition; others argued the prize should be depoliticized. Infantino told the council the matter had already been handed to the social responsibility committee, the Guardian reported.

FIFA Peace Prize review: what the committee must decide

“It was decided that the Football Social Responsibility Committee will be tasked to analyze it, provide a proposal,” Infantino said in a FIFA news release, adding that a decision on the award’s future would be taken at the next council meeting.

FIFA vice-president Debbie Hewitt, who also chairs the English Football Association, spelled out the review’s sweeping scope. The committee will consider “how the Peace Prize came about, whether it should have come about,” she said, and will revisit who made the decision, how the award was made, and whether the prize should be withdrawn or reformed.

That framing effectively puts every aspect of the award’s origin on trial: its creation, its criteria, its first recipient — and the man who awarded it.

How Trump became the first — and possibly only — winner

FIFA announced the creation of the FIFA Peace Prize in November 2025, describing it as an annual honor for “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.” The launch came just weeks after Trump was passed over for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, an award he had openly coveted.

The 2025 Nobel went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who later presented her physical medal to Trump at the White House in January — though the Nobel Committee said the prize itself cannot be transferred. The 2026 Nobel was announced on Oct. 9, 2026, and went to South African jurist Navi Pillay. (Read our coverage of Trump’s reaction to losing the 2026 Nobel to Pillay.)

On Dec. 5, 2025, at the draw for the 2026 World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural prize — a golden trophy, a medal and a certificate. “This is your prize. This is your peace prize,” Infantino told Trump on stage. Trump called it “truly one of the great honors of my life” and claimed the United States had saved “millions and millions of lives” under his leadership.

FIFA justified the choice by citing Trump’s role in efforts to establish a ceasefire and promote peace between Israel and Palestine following the October 2025 ceasefire and hostage-exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to Newsweek’s reporting via Times Now. The organization also said Trump had sought to resolve other conflicts.

The backlash: ethics complaints and a council that was never consulted

The decision triggered immediate condemnation. FairSquare, a UK-based human rights organization, asked FIFA’s Ethics Committee to examine whether Infantino’s actions breached the governing body’s political impartiality rules. The Norwegian Football Federation raised the matter with the ethics committee as well, and 50 members of the European Parliament subsequently called for a FIFA investigation, USA Today reported.

Compounding the controversy, multiple reports said Infantino did not inform the FIFA Council before creating the prize — blindsiding many of the federation’s highest-ranking executives. The process behind Trump’s selection was never made public, deepening questions about how the award came to exist at all.

Article two of FIFA’s statutes bars political or governmental interference in football — a provision critics cited as grounds for objecting to an award given to a sitting head of state. Many council members now view the prize as tainted by its association with Trump, the Guardian reported, and some worry that a future recipient the U.S. president dislikes could cause a diplomatic storm for the organization.

FIFA Peace Prize options: scrapping, reform, or a politician ban

What survives the review is genuinely uncertain. According to the Guardian’s reporting, the most likely outcome discussed among council members is reinventing the prize as an award for an individual within football — someone whose work promotes social harmony and responsibility — with a provision barring politicians from receiving it. The committee is also expected to set clear rules for nominations and the selection process if the prize survives.

Abolition remains on the table: several council members reportedly called for the award to be dropped entirely. Whether the 22-member Football Social Responsibility Committee — chaired by Myanmar’s Zaw Zaw, and reportedly dominated by representatives of countries loyal to Infantino — would recommend scrapping a prize so closely tied to the FIFA president is an open question; some council members believe abolition could be seen as a humiliation for Infantino.

The review forms part of broader scrutiny of decisions made during Infantino’s presidency. Newsweek reported that the wider examination also covers FIFA’s decision to suspend a one-match ban imposed on U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, reportedly after pressure from Trump, and the organization’s now-scrapped proposal to privatize its World Cup operations under its “Forward Enterprise” plan. FIFA has said further announcements are expected in December. The review does not, by itself, establish that any rules were breached.

Trump has not publicly commented on the review as of Friday. For the original award ceremony coverage and more on the FIFA Peace Prize controversy, see USA Today’s report on the review and our earlier piece on Navi Pillay’s 2026 Nobel Peace Prize win.

FAQ: FIFA Peace Prize review

What is the FIFA Peace Prize?

It is an award FIFA created in November 2025, described as an annual honor for individuals who have taken “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.” Donald Trump received the inaugural prize in December 2025.

Why is the FIFA Peace Prize under review?

The award’s creation drew backlash because FIFA president Gianni Infantino reportedly did not consult the FIFA Council before creating it, because the selection process was never disclosed, and because critics — including FairSquare, the Norwegian Football Federation and 50 MEPs — said giving it to a sitting president breached FIFA’s political neutrality. The council referred its future to the Football Social Responsibility Committee on Oct. 15.

Will the FIFA Peace Prize be scrapped?

That is one option on the table. Several council members reportedly pushed for abolition, while others favored reform — possibly recasting it as an award for someone in football who promotes social harmony, with politicians barred. The committee will make a recommendation before the next council meeting on Dec. 16, 2026, in Doha.

What happens to Trump’s award if the prize is abolished?

It is unclear. The review covers whether the prize “should be taken out or whether it should be reformed,” but FIFA has not said whether a past award could be revoked, and Trump would keep the trophy, medal and certificate already presented to him.

This is a developing story. Follow The Nerdy Humourist for updates on the FIFA Council’s December meeting in Doha.