The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) formally asked FIFA’s ethics committee to investigate FIFA President Gianni Infantino over the awarding of the first FIFA Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump on December 6, 2025, during the 2026 World Cup draw [1, 2].
NFF President Lise Klaveness confirmed her federation backed a complaint submitted by human rights group FairSquare, which alleged Infantino breached FIFA’s duty of political neutrality by giving Trump the prize [1, 2]. Klaveness stated, "First of all, we are strongly critical of the peace prize that was awarded" and called for the ethics committee to "assess whether Gianni Infantino has violated FIFA's statutes for political neutrality, including by awarding the FIFA Peace Prize" [2].
The human rights group FairSquare filed its complaint on May 31, 2026, followed by the NFF publicly supporting the complaint and sending a letter to FIFA on June 2, 2026 [1, 2]. Klaveness also remarked on other federations' stance, saying, "I think others (federations) knew that they could sign it if they wanted to. We concluded that it was useless to put pressure on anyone, it would just create friction" [1].
FIFA has never disclosed the criteria or process behind selecting Trump for the peace award [1]. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, Infantino had openly sought close ties with Trump, raising further questions about the award's impartiality [1].
The FIFA Peace Prize was first presented during the World Cup draw in December 2025, marking the inaugural award [1, 2]. The ethics committee’s review is now pending, with the Norwegian Football Federation urging a formal assessment of potential breaches of FIFA’s statutes on political neutrality [2].
