Early Saturday morning Australian time, millions of people around the world will be glued to their television sets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington DC.
The draw will determine which qualified teams, including the Socceroos, will play each other in the group stage of the showpiece football tournament, to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico.
But this time, football's world governing body is adding another item to the much-anticipated draw being held at the Kennedy Center — an annual peace prize.
It will go to someone who has "taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace", and there is broad speculation it will go to US President Donald Trump.
Trump is known to have a close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who will present the prize.
However, FIFA's agreement with the Kennedy Center is part of a US Senate committee probe into alleged "cronyism and corruption" at the Washington DC performing arts venue, with senators trading barbs about the appropriateness of FIFA's $0 contract.
FIFA claims it has donated millions to the centre.
The University of Sydney’s senior sports studies lecturer Dr Steve Georgakis told SBS there are valid concerns about Trump's closeness with Infantino.
"It seems like wherever Trump is, you’ll find Infantino there with him."
"[He's] Donald Trump's little lap dog."
The announcement of the peace prize in early November prompted questions as to whether Trump would be the first recipient of the award.
Asked at the America Business Forum in Miami, which Trump also attended, Infantino replied: "On the 5th of December you will see." He also said he had "a great relationship" with Trump.
Miguel Maduro, a former chairman of FIFA’s governance committee between 2016 and 2017, told the Athletic news site, the FIFA president’s comments praising Trump are a clear breach of the rules regarding political neutrality.
Georgakis said: "Trump sees himself as the most important person in the world, and we all know that the FIFA World Cup is the biggest show in the world."
Infantino supported Trump’s nomination for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, writing on Instagram that Trump "definitely deserves it" after his efforts towards a peace deal in Gaza. Trump was overlooked for the award, which went to Venezuela's María Corina Machado for her work in promoting democratic rights in her country.
In a statement, Infantino said: "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."
Georgakis said: "FIFA’s got more members than the United Nations, and it can ultimately argue that 'we can bring, countries which are historically hostile to each other or even currently involved in conflicts, together and through the institution of football, we can bring peace around the world."
Some have questioned FIFA about getting involved in politics.
Infantino supported Trump’s nomination for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Source: Getty / Alex Grimm
Most recently, Human Rights Watch sent a letter asking for information on the criteria and process for deciding the prize winner.
"Nothing in the world is politically free, but of course, we would like to think that sports sits outside of geopolitical issues," Georgakis said.
"[Infantino] is trying to make sure there are no surprises at the World Cup. So it makes a lot of sense to align yourself with someone (Trump) who ultimately can make or break you. And there’s a lot at stake for FIFA.
"They really want this to be a very successful World Cup because from the billions of dollars they’ll make out of the World Cup, they want to use this money to, as Infantino says, bring the world together through football."
The World Cup draw will allocate qualifying nations to the 12 four-team groups, setting the schedule for the opening phase of the 48-team, 104-game tournament being played in 16 cities across the US, Canada and Mexico next year.
"[Infantino] doesn’t want to be caught in a situation where a couple of days before the start of the World Cup, Trump’s announcing that he’s shutting down cities and wants to move matches to other cities," Georgakis said.
Watch the draw, and all 104 games of the FIFA World Cup 26™ LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.
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