Soccer-FIFA launches annual Peace Prize with first to be awarded at World Cup draw

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(Reuters) -FIFA announced a new annual award called the FIFA Peace Prize which will be given to its first winner during the 2026 World Cup finals draw in Washington D.C. next month, world soccer’s governing body said on Wednesday.

Dubbed the “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World”, FIFA said it was created to “reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace”.

“In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it’s fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

“Football stands for peace, and on behalf of the entire global football community, the FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World will recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations.”

U.S. President Donald Trump had announced in August that the World Cup draw will take place on December 5 at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, where 48 teams will learn their group stage opponents.

“We are uniting the world, Mr President, uniting the world, here in America, and we are very proud of that,” Infantino had told Trump before letting him hold the World Cup trophy.

Trump had aggressively lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize this year and the White House had criticised the Nobel Committee’s decision to grant it to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado last month.

The World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11-July 19, with a record 104 matches in 16 host cities.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge)