Millions of football fans across the globe will be parked in front of their screens on December 5, eagerly awaiting the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington, D.C.
The event will finally reveal how the qualified nations will be grouped for the biggest sporting spectacle on the planet, set to unfold across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
But this year's draw isn't just about football fate and group-stage drama.
In a first-of-its-kind twist, world football's governing body, FIFA, is adding a brand-new feature to the ceremony at the Kennedy Center, the introduction of an annual peace prize entitled "FIFA Peace Prize - Football Unites the World".
The award will honor an individual who has taken "exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace,” elevating the night from merely a sporting milestone to a moment of global symbolism.
What is the FIFA Peace Prize?
FIFA has rolled out a brand-new honour, the Peace Prize, created to celebrate individuals whose actions promote harmony and unity across the globe.
The award will be presented each year to someone who has "taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace" and "united people across the world." The inaugural recipient will be recognised by FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday, 5 December, during the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, DC.
"In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it is fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace," Infantino said in a FIFA statement.
He went on to emphasise that football "stands for peace" and that the prize will "recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations."
Who will be awarded the FIFA Peace Prize?
At the moment, FIFA has yet to reveal exactly how candidates for the newly created FIFA Peace Prize will be evaluated. There's been no clarification on how nominations will be gathered, who gets nominated, or whether fans and federations will have any input. Likewise, there's still no public list of nominees, nor any indication of who will sit on the selection panel or what expertise those decision-makers will bring to the table; all of those details remain firmly behind closed doors.
What is known, however, is that Friday's World Cup draw at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center is shaping up to be a high-profile affair. President Donald Trump is expected to attend the event at the venue he now chairs, and his close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino is hard to ignore. Infantino has made multiple visits to the White House and even appeared alongside Trump at international summits ever since the United States, Canada, and Mexico won hosting rights back in 2018.
Because of that relationship, many insiders expect Trump to be awarded the inaugural winner of the FIFA Peace Prize during the ceremony. He has positioned the 2026 World Cup not only as a flagship moment of his second term in office, but also as a centrepiece of the nation's 250th Independence anniversary celebrations next year.
Trump was overlooked for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, despite claims that he has brought an end to eight global conflicts since stepping back into the Oval Office.
When does World Cup 2026 start?
The 2026 World Cup is set to kick off on Thursday, June 11, 2026, signalling the tournament's long-awaited return to its classic June-July window. The showpiece will run through the summer before wrapping up with the final on July 19.
It's a contrast to the 2022 World Cup, which broke tradition by shifting to the northern hemisphere's winter. That switch was made to dodge the extreme summer heat in Qatar, where scorching June and July temperatures were deemed too dangerous for both players and fans.