Senior figures in FIFA were reportedly unaware of Gianni Infantino's plans for Donald Trump at the FIFA World Cup draw.
On Friday, the draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, with the 42 teams that have already qualified set to discover who they will face in the group stages next summer.
The six spots yet to be decided for the major international competition will also discover their potential opponents ahead of the play off matches in March.
Alongside FIFA President Infantino, American President Trump is expected to be present for the draw, with the United States set to host 78 out of the 104 total games in the 2026 World Cup.
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However, just days before the event, it has been revealed that several senior members within FIFA were blindsided when Infantino announced a special award to be handed out during the draw ceremony.
On November 5, FIFA suddenly announced the introduction of a new award entitled “FIFA Peace Prize — Football Unites the World”.
The award is set to acknowledged those who have "helped to unite people all over the world in peace and consequently deserve a special and unique recognition," with the first being presented by Infantino during the World Cup draw on Friday.
Although it is not yet known who will win the award, it is widely expected that it will be given to Trump after the US President missed out on this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
However, a report from The Athletic has revealed that the decision to create this award came as a complete surprise to the 37 members of the FIFA Council, of which Infantino is the chair.
Other than Infantino, it is believed that none of the eight vice-presidents or 28 other members elected by the member associations were made aware of the award ahead of it being announced last month.
It is also reported that the council have not had any input into the selection criteria for deciding who will win the award, with some of them only discovering that the award had been created via a media release.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has claimed to have ended eight wars, a fact that has been widely disputed.
But with Infantino a close ally of the American President, many expect that he will make Trump the winner of the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize award.
When asked about Trump's chances of winning the prize, Infantino teased: “You will see.”
Later adding: “I have a great relationship with President Trump, where I consider him a really close friend. He has such incredible energy and this is something that I really admire.”
SPORTbibl have reached out to FIFA for comment.
Topics: FIFA, Gianni Infantino, Donald Trump, Football, Football World Cup, FIFA World Cup
Ben McCrum