Published by TrenBuzz.com | April 28, 2026
Key Points at a Glance – Norway Calls on FIFA to Scrap Its Trump Peace Prize
- Norwegian Football Association President Lise Klaveness publicly demanded FIFA abolish its Peace Prize on April 27, 2026.
- The prize was created by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in November 2025 — and its inaugural recipient was US President Donald Trump, awarded at the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington in December.
- Klaveness called the prize “clearly outside FIFA’s mandate” with “no basis in the FIFA Congress” and “no legitimacy.”
- Human rights group FairSquare has filed an ethics complaint against Infantino, alleging the Trump award violated FIFA’s own political impartiality guidelines.
- Klaveness is attending the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on April 30 — just before the World Cup — and says she supports the ethics complaint against Infantino.
- Many in the football world see the award as a consolation prize for Trump, who has repeatedly demanded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in 45 days, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
- Infantino has doubled down, saying Trump “objectively deserves” the honor.
Five weeks before the biggest sporting event on the planet kicks off on American soil, FIFA has a problem — and Norway just made it very, very public.
FIFA should scrap its peace prize to avoid getting drawn into politics, Norwegian Football Association President Lise Klaveness said on Monday, suggesting that the awarding of such prizes be left to the Nobel Institute in Oslo.
How This All Started — Trump’s FIFA Peace Prize
FIFA announced the creation of the Peace Prize in November last year, stating that it aims to recognise individuals for exceptional actions in favour of peace. The inaugural award was given to US President Donald Trump, who received the honour from FIFA president Gianni Infantino during the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington on December 5.
The decision to honour Trump was seen by many as a consolation prize, given his numerous statements that he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump’s country will also co-host this year’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico — a commercial overlap that critics say made the award look less like recognition and more like flattery.
Klaveness’s Case — Point by Point
“We want to see it abolished,” Klaveness said in a roundtable with international media on Monday. “We don’t think it’s part of FIFA’s mandate to give such a prize. We think we have a Nobel Institute that does that job independently already.”
She told NRK: “It had no basis in the FIFA Congress. It has no legitimacy, and it is clearly outside FIFA’s mandate. It is serious that a political award is being introduced without any basis.”
Klaveness added: “We think it’s important for football federations, confederations and FIFA to try and avoid situations where this arm’s length distance to state leaders are challenged. To have a jury and criteria is full-time work. It’s so sensitive. From a resource angle and from a mandate angle but, most importantly, from a governance angle, I think it should be avoided also in the future.”
The Ethics Complaint — Infantino Under Fire
Human rights campaign group FairSquare has alleged that Infantino and FIFA may have breached their own ethical guidelines regarding political impartiality by awarding the prize to Trump. The group stated: “The award of a prize of this nature to a sitting political leader is, in and of itself, a clear breach of FIFA’s duty of neutrality.”
FairSquare further argued: “The FIFA president does not have the authority to unilaterally dictate the organisation’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values.”
Klaveness confirmed Monday that she supports the ethics complaint against Infantino and plans to raise the issue at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on April 30.
Infantino Doubles Down — “He Objectively Deserves It”
Speaking to the media in February, Infantino doubled down on the decision to award the FIFA Peace Prize to Trump, saying: “Whatever we can do to help peace in the world, we should be doing it.” Infantino insisted that person is Trump, adding that “objectively, he deserves it,” while recognising the “strong reaction” to FIFA’s new peace prize.
The FIFA chief’s defense has done little to quiet critics — and with Norway heading into the Vancouver Congress just days before the World Cup, the pressure on Infantino is building fast.
Why This Matters Beyond Football
The FIFA Peace Prize controversy touches something larger than sport — it raises a question about whether the world’s most powerful sporting bodies should ever wade into geopolitics, especially when commercial ties to powerful governments are involved.
With the 2026 World Cup being co-hosted by the United States — Trump’s home country — Norway’s challenge to Infantino is being watched by football associations around the world, many of whom privately share Klaveness’s discomfort but have been reluctant to say so publicly.
Norway just said it out loud. And the clock to Vancouver is ticking.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and news reporting purposes only. All quotes and facts referenced are based on publicly available and credible sources including Reuters, GiveMeSport, Front Row Soccer, and Dawn as of April 28, 2026. TrenBuzz.com does not represent any football federation, FIFA, or government body. Readers are encouraged to follow official FIFA and football federation channels for the latest updates ahead of the 2026 World Cup.