FIFA President Gianni Infantino has received an Atlantic Council Global Citizen award at a ceremony in New York, United States, in recognition of his work in making football a truly global game. Established to celebrate unique individuals who embody the spirit of global citizenship, the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards have previously acknowledged such global figures as the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The 14th edition of the awards saw Mr Infantino honoured along with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, with his award presented by NFL legend and record seven-time Super Bowl winner, Tom Brady.

“Under Gianni’s leadership, football has reached farther and welcomed more people in,” the five-time Super Bowl MVP said. “He’s championed inclusion and access, making sure the beautiful game belongs to everyone, from new fans to diehards. “He supercharged the women’s game, inspiring a new generation and he reminds us football is more than a score. It can be a force for peace, for dialogue, for development, for global citizenship. The values I love most are simple: preparation, teamwork and belief. When everyone is pulling in the same direction, great things can happen. That’s what Gianni has pushed for, from local pitches to the biggest stages.” In his acceptance speech, the FIFA President stressed that he was receiving the award on behalf of football fans across the world.

“I’m proud to stand here in front of you today to take this incredibly prestigious award – not for me – for the six billion people around the world who love this incredible and beautiful sport,” Mr Infantino told a high-level international audience of current and former heads of state, United Nations ambassadors, members of the US administration, global business leaders, and world-renowned artists. “Our game, football, is about joy, about happiness, about smile[s], about passion, about emotion but, of course, also about discipline, about respect, about team spirit, (and) about resilience. These are all positive values that children learn when they grow up playing football, playing the game.” While he acknowledged the passion and attention football can generate worldwide, Mr Infantino also explained that FIFA takes seriously its responsibility to harness this unique phenomenon to effect positive social change.

“FIFA, you must know, has 211 Member Associations, member countries – more than the United Nations – 211, imagine that. And they all share the same passion, they all share the same love, they all share the same enthusiasm for this – for this ball, for this game, for coming together. “FIFA is an organisation that invests 100% of its revenues in developing the game all over the world, in giving dreams and hopes to children – to girls to boys – in 211 countries in the world.”

With the focus of the world on Canada, Mexico and the United States for more than a month next year, the FIFA World Cup 26 will provide an unprecedented opportunity to raise awareness of FIFA’s social responsibility goals and initiatives. “We will unite the world, dear friends, next year here in North America – Mexico, Canada, (and the) United States,” the FIFA President added. “We'll have seven million people in the stadiums. We'll have six billion people watching from home. We'll have millions more coming here to celebrate and unite in something which will be not just the biggest sporting event, but the biggest social event the world has ever seen. “We need today to have occasions to unite the world, to bring everyone together, to bring people together so that they can meet, they can exchange, they can know each other, and they can all learn from each other. This is what the FIFA World Cup is about.”